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News Release: Amnesty Asks Taoiseach and Tánaiste to Help Save Chinese Prisoners [Excerpt]
NEWS RELEASE
For immediate release: Contact:
Brian Dooley or Denise Clare @
6776361
Amnesty Asks Taoiseach and Tánaiste to Help Save Chinese
Prisoners
Amnesty International's Irish Section has sent the Taoiseach
and the Tánaiste a list of prisoners it wants them to raise in meetings with
Chinese Premier Mr Zhu Rongji next week.
"Because of the scale of the human rights problem in
China I have selected a number of individual cases which I would urge you to
raise with Mr Zhu Rongji and his officials," said Amnesty Director
Seán Love in a letter to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste this week. "These
cases are just a handful of the thousands of Chinese prisoners who are today
being tortured, jailed for their peaceful beliefs, or awaiting
execution," he said.
China says its human rights focus is on feeding its people.
This is a laudable objective, but it doesn't give the Beijing government licence
to oppress, torture and execute its citizens, said Amnesty. "What human
rights conditions does the Irish government incorporate into trade negotiations
with the Chinese government?" he asked.
The specific cases Amnesty has asked the government to raise
are:
Since May of this year nothing has been heard of him. We do
not know if he is alive or dead.
Amnesty International believes that Zhao Ming is being
detained solely because of his
religious beliefs and is calling for his immediate and
unconditional release.
[...]
Amnesty has also asked the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to raise
the issue of the death penalty with the Chinese premier. More people were
executed in China in the last few months than in the rest of the world put
together in the last three years. At least 1,781 people have been executed
although the true figure is very much higher. Among the crimes for which they
have been executed are tax fraud, embezzlement and stealing petrol. Only a
fraction of death sentences and executions carried out in China are publicly
reported.
"Most executions take place after sentencing rallies in
front of massive crowds in sports stadiums -- ironic in view of China hosting
the 2008 Olympic Games - and public squares. Prisoners are also paraded through
the streets past thousands of people on the way to execution by firing squad in
nearby fields or courtyards," said Seán Love. For further information visit www.amnesty.ie. Photos of the individuals are available on our website. Posting date: 9/4/2001
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