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Speech for Rally at Parliament Hill
Alex Neve, Secretary General of AI of Canada June 11, 2003 Amnesty International continues to have grave concerns about ongoing and serious violations of
human rights throughout China, including the continuing campaign of persecution against Falun Gong
practitioners which began four years ago. We have repeatedly spoken out in opposition to the unjust and arbitrary detention of Falun Gong
followers, arrested simply because they have sought to exercise peacefully their rights to freedom
of expression and belief. We have insisted that the brutal torture that imprisoned practitioners
have experienced must come to an end. We have demanded investigations into the countless cases of Falun Gong followers who have died in custody or soon
after release from custody, almost certainly in most instances because of the torture or
ill-treatment they have suffered. Today as you gather on Parliament Hill I can assure you that Amnesty International, around the
world, continues to demand that China uphold the fundamental human rights of Falun Gong followers
and of all peoples across China. In the global campaign to protect and promote human rights, justice and accountability is
critical. When those individuals who carry out, allow, order or plan human rights violations pay no price
for their misdeeds, it is almost certain that more abuses will follow. The days when the world community rewarded human rights abusers are coming to an end. Finally
governments are waking up to the importance of making sure that torturers, masterminds of
"disappearances," and architects of genocide do face justice. And it is a global responsibility. All nations have a responsibility to stand up for and deliver
justice, no matter where human rights violations have taken place. Your call today for justice for the many, many victims of human rights abuse in China is an
important one. It is a call that the Chinese government must take seriously. It is a call that
nations such as Canada must take seriously. There can be no excuses. No silence. No looking away. Instead all governments must, with determination and resolve, do everything possible to ensure
that Chinese officials, no matter how high or low their office, who have been responsible for
committing human rights violations are held to account for what they have done. That is what justice
demands. That is what human rights demand. Related Article: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/6/13/36883.html |