UN to Review China’s Human Rights RecordThursday, 5 February 2009, 4:53 p.m.
Dharamshala: Expressing concern over the serious human rights abuses being committed across China, Amnesty International has urged the United Nation Human Rights Council to raise “pressing issues” during its universal periodic review (UPR) of China’s human rights record on 9 February.In a press release issued on 4 February, Amnesty International said the Chinese government’s report to the UN Human Rights Council whitewashes its human rights abuses.The rights group voiced concern over China’s relaunch of strike hard campaign in Tibet’s capital Lhasa on 18 January. Under this campaign, the Chinese authorities have arrested 81 people after conducting series of raids in residential areas, rented rooms, hotels, guesthouses, internet cafes and bars.It said China’s government report omits reference to the on-going crisis in Tibet, the severe crackdown on Uighurs in China’s Western Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, and the on-going persecution of various religious practitioners, including the Falun Gong members.“China’s national report fails to list some of the country’s most pressing issues,” said Roseann Rife. “Ignoring severe violations of human rights in the country undermines the goals and spirit of the UN UPR process.” Amnesty International also expressed disappointment in China’s failure to engage more broadly with its civil society in preparation of its report. “One of the positive aspects of this process is to push governments to engage seriously with domestic non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and activists in preparation of their UN submissions,” said Roseann Rife. “By not doing so, China has lost an important opportunity to tackle the country’s serious human challenges.” Amnesty International urges the Chinese authorities to actively promote the dissemination of its report within Chinese civil society, as well as the dissemination of the parallel reports submitted by NGOs and to inform its citizenry of the broadcast of the proceedings on 9 February. “For the UPR to be a truly effective mechanism, the real test will be in the concrete actions the Chinese authorities take to improve human rights on the ground. We will be closely monitoring the proceedings, including what China says about itself during the discussions as well as what other countries ask, and decide not to ask,” said Roseann Rife.However, Amnesty International said it also acknowledges the progress made by China in certain human rights areas, including the advances related to its legal system, the human rights education programmes and the passage of the Labour Contract Law, among others.Earlier on 27 January, the International Campaign for Tibet based in Washington DC-based presented Tibet’s case before the panel of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the US Congress, which conducted a hearing on the forthcoming China’s UPR review.Mr Buchung K Tsering, vice president of the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), presented a set of recommendations to the Lantos commission in the hope of having a direct and indirect impact on the United States’ position relating to UN’s review of China’s UPR report.The members of Congress who were present at the hearing were Rep. James McGovern (co-Chair of the Commission); Rep. Frank Wolf (Co-chair of the Commission); Rep. Donna Edwards; Rep. Keith Ellison; Rep. Joseph Pitts; and Rep. Janice Schakowsky.Amongs the panelists were Felice D. Gaer of the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights of the American Jewish Committee, Bhuchung K. Tsering of the International Campaign for Tibet; Rebiya Kadeer of the Uyghur American Association; T. Kumar of Amnesty International; Harry Wu of the Laogai Foundation, and Lucie Morillon Director of the Washington Bureau of Reporters Without Borders.“The United States needs to adopt a holistic approach towards the Tibetan issue. Attempts to improve the human rights situation needs to be incorporated with efforts to resolve the broader political problem in Tibet, Mr Bhuchung Tsering said.He said the commission should ask the United States government to consistently and proactively work for supporting the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach to resolve the Tibetan problem.He asked the commission to recommend the US administration to appoint the Congressionally-mandated “Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues” at an appropriately high level with necessary resources to fulfill its tasks.He said the “Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues” at the Department of State should be fully relied upon, and should be involved in any aspects of US-China relations that could impact Tibet, including issues of economic consequence.The US government should work multilaterally in developing a united Tibet policy, including at the UN and other regional and international forums, he said.The ICT, in its report on China and UPR, also made recommendations to the Government of People’s Republic of China.It urges the Chinese government to adopt and implement laws and regulations for Tibetans that create conditions of genuine autonomy, where Tibetans have the rights and means to participate in decision-making on the future direction and development of Tibet.It also urges the Chinese government to provide unimpeded access for UN human rights experts and foreign media to all Tibetan areas. It calls for an immediate and unconditional release all those detained and imprisoned solely for engaging in peaceful protest and other peaceful activities. It further calls on the Chinese government to fully implement the many recommendations on Tibet as issued by the Special Procedures mandate-holders and UN Treaty Bodies.It calls for an end to policies and practices targeted at Tibetan Buddhist institutions and which undermine the practice and preservation of Tibetan Buddhism, including State intervention in the identification and training of Tibetan reincarnate lamas, and the use of ‘patriotic education’ campaigns, which include denunciations of the Dalai Lama.It urges the Chinese government to fully implement the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, including access for an independent body to visit the Gendun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet.It also urges China to impose a moratorium on the resettlement of Tibetan nomads displaced by government development policies, pending an independent assessment and legal review of such policies. In all prior instances of resettlement, offer affected persons the opportunity to return or settle in an area nearby or like the one from which they have been moved.
