Amnesty International in Germany: Economic reform can't guarantee the improvement of human rights

(Clearwisdom.net) On December 27, 2002, the German branch of Amnesty International announced that," Economic reform can't guarantee the improvement of human rights."

The announcement said that despite the liberation of the economy, human rights in China are still being violated in general. Amnesty International hopes that Prime Minister Schroeder, will declare a definite stance on this issue, and support non-violent people who have been imprisoned for political reasons [Falun Gong has no interest in politics. Practitioners simply appeal for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China].

Berlin, December 27, 2002: at the time of the completion of the freeway in Shanghai, Mr. Pleiter, of the Chinese section of Amnesty International commented, "The Federal government should not believe that economic reform and modern techniques can automatically help and improve human rights." In a rapidly changing economy, China should make more effort to protect labor unions and defenders of human rights [..]. Amnesty International has noticed that the authorities in China often use the title, "anti-terrorism," to describe the actions they take toward people who are not welcomed by them. Amnesty International is extremely concerned about this.

Amnesty International had appealed for the Prime Minister of the Federation to express his stance during his visit to China from December 29 to 31: anti-terrorism cannot be used as an excuse to harm internationally recognized human rights. Mr. Pleiter warned, "Silence will be thought of as acceptance of the Chinese leaders behavior."

As before, Amnesty International appeals again to the Prime Minister to help obtain the release of non-violent people, who are imprisoned for political reasons. This includes labor union members Zhang Shanguan, Li Wangyang, and Li Wanglin, and Falun Gong practitioners and siblings, Li Xiaobing and Li Xiaomei. None of those imprisoned have been released as of yet.

[..]

The visit of the Prime Minister to China has come at a time when China has just established its new political regime. Mr. Pleiter said, "The Prime Minister [of the Federation] should use this chance to ask the future government to truly change its standards of basic human rights." Though the Chinese government has signed and passed some human rights treaties, they do not carry them out at all.

(Translated from German on Thursday, January 9, 2003)

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