WRITTEN QUESTION E-0141/99

by Ernesto Caccavale (UPE) to the Commission

(11 February 1999)

Subject: Repeated violations of human rights in China following acceptance of the pact on civil and political rights

Last month the two founders of the democratic party in China - Xu Wenli and Wang Youcai - were arrested on a charge of subversion and sentenced to 13 and 12 years in prison for setting up an illegal organisation. The dissident Qin Yongmin and the former student leader Wang Youcai were both sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment while the well-known trade-unionist Zhang Shanghuang was sentenced to 10 years on a charge of organising a pressure group in support of the unemployed and supporting an demonstration of small farmers against taxes.

There is reason to believe that during the trials which led to these sentences there were serious procedural irregularities and violations of the right of the accused to a fair and public trial and to have equal instruments with regard to the accusation. The trials were in fact very short and were conducted behind closed doors without any guarantees for the defence, to the extent that Xu Wenli decided not to appeal as he did not recognise the legitimacy of the trial. All this happened despite China's recent acceptance of the UN pact on civil and political rights.

In addition we have recently learnt of the bloody repression on 8 January of a protest by thousands of peasants against unfair and arbitrary taxes; the number of victims is not yet known. In response to protests by various international human rights organisations the Chinese Government has retorted that these are internal matters and that no other country or international organisation has the right to interfere.

The Commission:

- what steps does it intend to take vis-à-vis the Chinese Government following these serious violations of the fundamental rights and principles of liberty that are the basis of any democratic society such as freedom of expression and the right to a fair and effective trial?

- in the light of the above, does it consider it right to continue to grant aid in whatever form to the People's Republic of China despite the fact that the Chinese Government blatantly and constantly violates some of the fundamental human rights?

Joint answer

to Written Questions E-0124/99 and E-0141/99 given by Sir Leon Brittan on behalf of the Commission

(4 March 1999)

The Commission is deeply concerned by the recent arrest, prosecution and sentencing of several Chinese pro-democracy and labour activists, including Wang Ce. The charges for which they were tried and the method of prosecution were in contravention of international standards, most notably the International covenant on civil and political rights (ICCPR) signed by China in October 1998. The Commission was encouraged by China's recent decision to sign this covenant and now expects China to live up to the standards that it sets. The Union has strongly protested against the recent crackdown on dissidents. This crackdown and the individual cases of dissidents were at the top of the agenda of the human rights dialogue between the Union and China on 8-9 February 1999 in Berlin.

Furthermore, the Commission considers that there may be a strong case for considering the use of specific benchmarks by which the progress of the bilateral human rights dialogue between the Union and China will be judged in future. This will ensure that consistent pressure is applied on the Chinese authorities to make real progress in the level of respect for human rights in China.

Human rights will continue to be a fundamental element in the Union's relations with China. They figure prominently in all high-level discussions between the two sides. The Commission's co-operation programme with China includes a number of projects in support of human rights and the rule of law. The Commission believes that this comprehensive policy of engagement, not isolation, will encourage China to better integrate with the rest of the world. This, in the long run, will remain the most effective means to promote human rights in China.