(Clearwisdom.net)
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Safety and
Emergency Preparedness Canada
Ottawa, Canada
September 02 2004
Dear ___________:
Thank you for your recent correspondence concerning Falun
Gong practitioners in South Africa.
Canada remains deeply concerned about ongoing reports of the
suppression of freedom of expression and spiritual practice in China, including
Falun Gong. Canada consistently raises the human rights concerns of many
Canadians during regular dialogues with Chinese leaders at all levels.
Canada registers its concerns about China's human rights
record in annual public statements, including those made at the United Nations
General Assembly and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The most
recent Canadian statement, delivered in Geneva on March 25, 2004, made specific
mentions of the persistent scale and scope of restrictions on freedom of
expression, association, religion and spiritual beliefs, which reflects concerns
about the treatment of both spiritual groups such as the Falun Gong and minority
groups in Tibet and XinJiang.
Canada engages China on human rights issues through a
dialogue process, including the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), where
the Chinese government is urged to respect rights such as freedom of expression.
At the seventh meeting of the JCHR in October 2003 in Ottawa, Canada raised a
number of key human rights concerns, including the plight of Falun Gong
practitioners, with Chinese authorities.
Please be assured that we will continue to make our views
known to the Chinese authorities.
Thank you again for writing on this important issue.
Yours sincerely,
A. Anne McLellan
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