Chinese activists call for action to prevent the failure of the China-US Human Rights Dialogue
Beijing (AsiaNews) – Thirty-six lawyers and human rights activists have signed an open letter, urging the United States and China to engage in a process of dialogue that is open to civil society scrutiny. At the same time, they call for the repeal of laws that violate China’s own constitution.
Published by Chinese Human Rights Defender (CHRD), the letter comes as the 2015 China-US Human Rights Dialogue gets underway tomorrow and Friday in Washington. At the same time, at least 320 lawyers and activists have been the victims of repression for trying to uphold the human and civil rights of ordinary Chinese. Of these, 23 have either been detained on criminal charges, disappeared, or are under residential surveillance in unknown locations.
Some of the cases are well known. They include people like jailed Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo;* his wife Liu Xia, who has been under house arrest without charges for four years; journalist Gao Yu; prisoners of conscience Wang Bingzhang, Chen Xi, Zhu Yufu and many others. All of them have health problems but have been denied proper medical treatment and drugs.
The letter, which follows below, calls on the Chinese and US governments to engage in true dialogue on issues that are not limited to the economy.
We have learned that the 2015 China-US Human Rights Dialogue will take place on August 13-14 in Washington, DC. We have some concerns that we want to raise, as we are lawyers and activists committed to safeguarding human rights.
We hold the view that human rights are universal, and that such rights should not be replaced or ignored by any government citing “internal affairs,” nor substituted with subsistence rights and development rights. Nor shall human rights be suppressed under the pretence of anti-terrorism and stability maintenance. It is undeniable that the China-US Human Rights Dialogues held before provided platforms for the two governments to exchange views and drew public attention through the media. Even so, these Dialogues did not substantially help improve China’s human rights situation, which, on the contrary, has deteriorated in the past two years.
What should not be ignored is that this round of the Human Rights Dialogue takes place in the backdrop of a massive police operations, since a raid on July 9 and even before, that has involved enforced involuntary disappearances, interrogation, and harassment of lawyers and other rights activists, and during a time when the government has successively put out a series of laws and amendments that aim to legalize human rights suppression. Under these circumstances, we have reasons to expect the Dialogue to play a positive role in containing the deterioration of human rights conditions in China.
We put forward several requests, as follows:
1. The Chinese government should release all lawyers and activists who have been arbitrarily detained and forcibly disappeared (secretly imprisoned) since July 9, to show its sincerity to the Dialogue aimed at improving human rights. Both sides should put forth concrete and verifiable plans to avoid continued persecution of lawyers and activists after the Dialogue.
2. The US government should pay close attention to the latest legislation trend and urge Chinese authorities to abolish or substantially amend the clauses and articles of laws and regulations that breach the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China or the international standards of human rights by which China has already promised to abide. Especially, Article 36 of the Amendment (VIIII) to the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China and Article 73 of the Criminal Procedure Law, which has directly influenced the “709 Event” targeting human rights lawyers.
3. The Chinese government should guarantee the personal safety of non-government activists (including lawyers) who have expressed views and made suggestions regarding the Dialogue.
4. Both governments should openly and transparently report results of this Dialogue to their respective public and legislative institutions in order to allow for public monitoring.
As is known to all, the protection of human rights is set as a provision in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as both Constitutions of China and the United States; the idea that “human rights overrides sovereignty” has become widely recognized. We hope that the close relationship between China and the United States is not only embodied in economic ties but also in politics, culture, and other areas. Among the comprehensive exchanges, the main effort of both governments should focus on making the Dialogue to be regular, non-governmental, and effective. Only the participation of civic societies in both countries can guarantee the due progress of human rights dialogues and other ways of exchange and cooperation on human rights, and by so doing keep bilateral relations on the right track. We sincerely hope that this round of the Dialogue can play its due role in resolving current and future human rights problems of China.
Signed by: Chang Boyang, Chen Keyan, Han Qingfang, Jiang Tianyong, Jiang Yuanmin, Li Dongmei, Lin Qilei, Liu Shihui, Liu Wei, Ma Yongtao, Wu Jinsheng, Peng Yongfeng, Tang Jitain, Teng Biao, Wang Jun, Wang Quanping, Wu Kuiming, Xiao Guozhen, Ye Jingchun, Zhang Chongshi, Ren Quanniu, Yu Wensheng, Xia Jun, Ge Wenxiu, Liu Zhengqing, Chen Bin, Jin Guanghong, Wang Bin, Shu Xiangxin, Chen Zhiyong, Ge Jueping, Lu Guoying, Yu Yanhau, Zhang Youwei, Chen Ziliang
* Liu Xiaobo is the winner of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Peace. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his commitment to democracy.
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