MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the case of Ai Wei Wei
5.4.2011
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Heidi Hautala, Barbara Lochbihler, Eva Lichtenberger, Helga Trüpel, Reinhard Bütikofer, Pascal Canfin, Philippe Lamberts, Rebecca Harms, Daniel Cohn-Bendit on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0274/2011
B7‑0278/2011
European Parliament resolution on the case of Ai Wei Wei
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on China and, in particular, to the one on minority rights and the application of the death penalty and the one of 21 January 2010 on human rights violations in China, notably the case of Liu Xiaobo,
- having regard to its resolution of 6 September 2007 on the functioning of the human rights dialogues and consultations on human rights with third countries,
- having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, Ai Weiwei, one of China's most famous artists, was stopped from leaving Beijing for Hong Kong on 3 April 2011 on his way to Taiwan for an art exhibition,
B. whereas since he was taken away by two border officers at the airport he has been out of reach and appears to have been detained; whereas the officers at the airport branch of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau declined to comment if Ai was being held,
C. whereas after the airport incident more than a dozen policemen cordoned off an area of 50 metres around Ai's studio in Beijing's Chaoyang District and cut off power supply in the neighbourhood and took away Ai's colleagues for questioning,
D. whereas the Police visited Ai's studio three times last week, purportedly to conduct fire safety inspections and check the passports and mobile phone numbers of foreign staff,
E. whereas Ai Weiwei is one of most prominent signatories of Charter 2008, a petition that urges China to press ahead with political reform and the protection of human rights, that was signed by more than 10,000 Chinese citizens,
F. whereas on 25 March 2011 Liu Xianbin, another signatory of Charter 2008, was sentenced to a 10 year prison term for "incitation to subversion of the State" following his allegations of the involvement of public powers in the bad quality of construction material used for some of the buildings that collapsed during the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan,
F. whereas in the wake of the revolts in the Arab countries the Chinese authorities have tightened up internet censorship, intensified repression of Chinese Communist Party's opponents and critics, stepped up intimidation and harassment and increased the surveillance of human rights activists, intellectuals, lawyers and artists and imposed tight restrictions on foreign reporters in the country,
G. whereas on 19 February 2011 Teng Biao, Jiang Tianyong and Tang Jitian, three human rights lawyers, have disappeared, supposedly kidnapped,
H. whereas Sakharov prize laureate Hu Jia is still detained in poor health conditions; whereas his wife has been denied access to his medical files; whereas she has reintroduced a request for Hu's release on medical grounds,
I. whereas the EU-China human rights dialogue established in 2000 has achieved negligible results so far;
1. Calls for Ai Weiwei's immediate and unconditional release and expresses its solidarity with his peaceful actions and initiatives in favour of democratic reforms and the protection of human rights;
2. Expresses at the same time its sympathy and support for those Chinese who have openly voiced their criticism vis-a-vis human rights violations in China and the lack of respect for basic freedoms; expects that the Chinese government gradually enhances the development of a truly open public sphere and in particular allowing Civil Society Organisations to have an impact in the shaping of this public sphere,
3. Expresses its deep concern at the health conditions of Hu Jia and calls, therefore, for his immediate release on medical grounds; insists that after his release Hu Jia can have access to full medical care and that him and his family are not placed under house arrest;
4. Calls on the PRC authorities to respect the commitments made before the Human Rights Council and to conform with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 9 December 1998;
5. Urges the PRC to ensure in all circumstances respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with human rights standards and international instruments and calls for the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
6. Notes that China's human rights record remains a matter of serious concern; emphasises the need to make a comprehensive assessment of the EU-China human rights dialogue, including the EU-China legal seminar on human rights, in order to measure the methodology applied and the progress achieved;
7. Calls on the HR/VP for Foreign and Security Policy Lady Ashton to rethink this dialogue in order to make it effective and result-oriented, and take all necessary steps for the swift organization of the next human rights dialogue where will be raised the cases of Ai Weiwei and other human rights violations mentioned in the EP resolutions; insists on the necessity to increase the transparency and accountability of the dialogue and seminar process by producing regular assessments based upon clear benchmarks and making these assessments public; demands that the question of the participation of academics and experts in the EU delegation for seminars on human rights be seriously examined and insist on the participation of the Chinese civil society;
8. Regrets the fact that on the occasion of the visit of German Foreign Minister to China, a German Delegation Member writer called Tilman Spengler was denied a visa;
9. Takes the view that the development of EU-China relations must go hand in hand with the development of a genuine, fruitful and effective political dialogue and that the respect for human rights should be an integral part of the new framework agreement which is now being negotiated with China;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign and Security Policy, the President of the Council of the European Union, the Commission and the President, Prime Minister and People’s National Assembly of the People’s Republic of China.