Victims of one of the most notorious crackdowns on free speech in the history of communist China yesterday submitted an open letter to the country's top leaders, seeking a public apology and financial compensation for their trauma.
Sixty-one survivors from 'the Anti-Rightist Campaign' 50 years ago signed the petition addressed to the Communist Party's Central Committee, the National People's Congress Standing Committee and the State Council.
The mass persecution on the country's intelligentsia was launched by Chairman Mao Zedong in 1957 - after initially encouraging the country's intellectuals to speak up, he later became infuriated by their criticism.
At least 500,000 scholars, writers, artists and teachers were labelled as 'rightists' and purged, with punishment ranging from public humiliation to imprisonment.
'The so-called Anti-Rightist Campaign is one of the most tragic moments in contemporary Chinese history; it turned around the country's progress towards social civilisation ... and was held accountable for a foul, hypocritical and inhibitive social atmosphere where nobody dared to speak the truth and everyone was on perennial vigilance,' said the open letter.
To redress the historical error, the central leadership should launch a public discussion on the campaign, make a sincere apology and provide material compensation for the survivors, it said.