The 2000 Human Rights Report, released by the U.S. Dept. of State on February 26, sharply criticized the currently deteriorating human rights condition in China. The report was especially critical of the persecution of religions, including the crackdown on Falun Gong, capital punishment without legal process, of the extortion of "confessions" through torture, torturing prisoners, etc. This report will naturally affect the Bush administration's decision on whether it will take the lead in condemning the Chinese Government on human rights violations at the annual U.N. Human Rights Commission Meeting to be held in Geneva this month.
Because of this, China has ratified the "International Treaty on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights," at the recently held annual sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. On the surface, human rights in China have now been institutionally guaranteed. However, it is doubtful how this guarantee will be implemented in the daily lives of Chinese people.
For example, since early Spring of this year, Jiang Zemin has launched a forced signature collection drive, attempting to create a false image that the persecution of Falun Gong conforms to the will of people. However, this so-called "signature drive" in itself is really an extreme deprivation of the human rights of Chinese people. As is well known in democratic countries, the signing of petitions originates from the exercise of free will, without government interference. But under the rule of Jiang's government, the collection of signatures is conducted under duress of force. There are even such threats as dismissal from school or work unit, or of forced labor "reeducation" for those who refuse to sign. It is hard to believe that at some primary schools, there were pairs of police officers holding the innocent pupils and forcing the children to sign their petition. All over the country, from top to bottom, there has become an all-pervasive, politically motivated movement to forcibly collect signatures according to Jiang's will. Jiang and his accomplices plot to submit these signatures and videos, which are collected against and in violation of the people's will, to the U.N. Human Rights Commission as evidence, intended to obscure the abominable human rights record of China.
As a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, China has the obligation and responsibility to comply with the regulations of the U.N. Charter and Human Rights Pacts. At this point in history, human rights have gradually become the widely accepted standard of conduct among members of the international community. In such a civilized environment, unscrupulous actions, which violate the basic human rights of Chinese citizens, should be collectively condemned by the members of the international community.
Human rights are the inherent rights of people. They are divine and inalienable. With total disregard for these facts, and in an attempt to avoid a censure resolution from the U.N. Human Rights Commission, Jiang's government is further extending the scope of human rights violations, using any available means, fair or foul.
March 4, 2001
