MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Human rights violations in China, notably the case of Liu Xiaobao
19.1.2010
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Fiorello Provera, Lorenzo Fontana, Edward McMillan-Scott on behalf of the EFD Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0040/2010
B7‑0051/2010
European Parliament resolution on Human rights violations in China, notably the case of Liu Xiaobao
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Presidency Statement on the sentencing of Liu Xiaobo of 25 December 2009,
– having regard to the Presidency Statement on the forced return by Cambodia of asylum seekers of 21 December 2009,
– having regard to the Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the execution of Akmal Shaikh of 29 December 2009,
– having regard to Articles 35 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, which provide that all citizens shall enjoy freedom of expression and article 36 which assures religious freedom,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on China,
– having regard to the Joint Statement of the 12th EU-China Summit, which took place in Nanjing on 30 November 2009,
– having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the Union is based on adherence to the values of freedom, democracy and observance of human rights and to the rule of law, and it regards observance of those inalienable rights as an essential prerequisite for peaceful existence in a society,
B. whereas the partnership between the EU and China should be based on shared common values,
C. whereas on 25 December 2009 leading Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was sentenced to 11 years in prison for "inciting subversion of state power",
D. whereas former Czech President Vaclav Havel, who wanted to deliver an appeal for the release of Liu Xiaobo, was denied access to the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Prague,
E. whereas film-maker Dhondup Wangchen was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment for directing a movie exposing in a critical way Chinese policies towards Tibetans,
F. whereas, according to China Aid, Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng, who went missing in February 2009, was allegedly killed under torture in September,
G. whereas British citizen Akmal Shaikh was executed on 29 December 2009, the first European to be executed by China in 58 years,
H. whereas, according to the search engine Google the accounts of dozens of US, China and Europe-based Gmail users, who are "advocates of human rights in China", appeared to have been "routinely accessed by third parties",
I. whereas, these cases are the confirmation of the appalling record of China's human rights violations operated under Communist rule, including repression of ethnic and religious minorities, arrests of opposition activists, limitation of free speech and media censorship, widespread use of the death penalty, non-respect of labour rights and breaches to the most basic environmental standards,
J. whereas the 2008 European Sakharov Prize Laureate Hu Jia is still imprisoned,
1. Expresses its deep concern for the disproportionate sentence against the prominent human rights defender Liu Xiaobo to 11 years of prison for his role as the alleged author of Charter 08, a blueprint of democratic and rights-based reform in China and for publishing a number of essays relating to human rights issues on the internet; calls for the immediate release of Dhondup Wangchen;
2. Strongly condemns the execution of British citizen Akmal Shaikh by Chinese authorities who ignored pleas for a mental health assessment;
3. Calls on Chinese government to allow search engines, email providers and social networks to operate within China without censorship and with full privacy for its users;
4. Calls once again on China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; deplores the often discriminatory treatment of ethnic and religious minorities in China, including Falun Gong, Tibetans, Uyghurs and the Catholic underground Church;
5. Highlights the fact that the Chinese Government published its first National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010) on 13 April 2009, aiming in particular to improve the protection of citizens' rights throughout the law-enforcement and judicial processes, eliminate arbitrary detention, prohibit the extortion of confessions by torture and ensure fair and open trials; calls on the Chinese authorities to make public the number of executions carried out; urges the Chinese Government to adopt a moratorium on the death penalty immediately and unconditionally, this being seen as a crucial step towards abolition of the death penalty;
6. Stresses that China's human rights record remains a matter of serious concern; insists on the need for rigorous follow-up between all rounds of the EU-China human rights dialogue, with a view to ensuring the application of the recommendations resulting from previous dialogues;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments of the Member States, the Council of Europe, the United Nations Human Rights Council and the Government of the People's Republic of China.