Amnesty International Report Criticises the State of China's Human Rights

Amnesty International released its 2007 report on The State of Human Rights in the World on Wednesday. The report pointed out that there has been no improvement in the CCP regime's persecution of Falun Gong and the people of Tibet and that the state of human rights in the country is still poor. The organisation calls on the international community to exert pressure on the CCP.

The deputy director of Amnesty International in the Asia Pacific Region pointed out that Internet usage in 2006 in China increased tremendously, but the CCP's persecution of human rights' defenders also increased, which was reflected in the increased numbers of arrests of reporters, writers, and Internet users.

The report states: "The government continued to crack down on religious observance outside officially sanctioned channels. Thousands of members of underground protestant "house churches" and unofficial Catholic churches were detained, many of whom were ill-treated or tortured in detention. Members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement were detained and assigned to administrative detention for their beliefs, and continued to be at high risk of torture or ill-treatment.

"Bu Dongwei, a Falun Gong practitioner, was assigned to two and a half years' of forced labor in June for 'activities relating to a banned organisation' after police discovered Falun Gong literature at his home. He had been working for a US aid organisation when he was detained."

The report continues: "The death penalty continued to be used extensively to punish around 68 crimes, including economic and non-violent crimes. Based on public reports, AI estimated that at least 1,010 people were executed and 2,790 sentenced to death during 2006, although the true figures were believed to be much higher.

"Torture and ill-treatment remained widespread. Common methods included kicking, beating, electric shocks, suspension by the arms, shackling in painful positions, cigarette burns, and sleep and food deprivation. In November a senior official admitted that at least 30 wrongful convictions handed down each year resulted from the use of torture, with the true number likely being higher. There was no progress in efforts to reform the 'Re-education through Labour' system of administrative detention without charge or trial. Hundreds of thousands of people were believed to be held in forced labour facilities across China and were at risk of torture and ill-treatment."

Excerpt from http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Asia-Pacific/China