Belgium: Before the Europe China Dialogue, European Parliament Focuses on the CCP Human Rights Record

On the 10th of October 2007, before the human rights dialogue between the EU and China, and before the CCP’s seventeenth congress, the European Parliament held a press conference about human rights in China and freedom of belief. It was run by the Vice Chairman of the European Parliament, Edward McMillan-Scott. Director of Human Rights without Frontiers International Willy Fautre, Senior MP from the European Parliament and Chairman of the Multi-Party of Tibet Thomas Mann, and Member of European Parliament, Istvan Szent-Ivanyi were also present.

A Member of the European Parliament stressed that there is only ten months left before the Beijing Olympics, but many groups are still being persecuted in China. McMillan-Scott said he has sent a letter to the Chairman of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering, last week and mentioned the continuous persecution of Falun Gong practitioners and human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, launched by the CCP. The letter related their circumstances of being persecuted to the secretary of the International Criminal Court along with a report that about 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners being persecuted to death. According to a suggestion from the International Criminal Court, the European Parliament should submit a formal document based on the International Convention of Genocide.

The dialogue between the EU and China started on 15th October in Beijing. Mr. McMillan-Scott requested the CCP to release all Falun Gong practitioners before the dialogue. The EU will raise these cases during the dialogue.

In the meeting, Mr. Hu Jia, a human rights activist in mainland China, was contacted by phone. He expressed his opinion about human rights in China and the Olympics in 2008 and also announced the recent situation of the human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng. Hu Jia said, ‘We are very concerned about the human rights situation of ordinary people, especially from many continuing things happening recently. We hope to expose the truth happening in China by our own efforts and, at the same time, hope the international society pays more attention to the evil which has gone on underneath the surface of the preparations for the Olympics.’’

During the meeting, Baiguang Li, another Chinese human rights activist, was also contacted. He stated that the Olympics should be a peaceful and friendly meeting for human beings rather than a chance for abusing human rights in China. He strongly requested that the Chinese government should really make an effort in order to be a country based on the constitution and respecting human rights.

Willy Fautre, Director of Human Rights without Frontiers International, delivered a statement, requesting all heads of democratic elected countries and politicians not to go and take part in the Olympics, because people in China are still suffering from persecution and tens of thousands people suffered from suppression because of their religious belief. Mr Fautre said that the whole world should focus on the real side of China.

(The Epoch Times)