Highlighting Serious Concerns in China and Hong Kong - UK Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Publishes Annual Human Rights Report

The UK Parliament Foreign Affair Committee published its 2002 annual human rights report on March 18 2003.

On the issue of the highly controversial Article 23 legislation in Hong Kong, the Report stated “The United Kingdom Government must express any concerns it has about the human rights impact of the new law clearly and without hesitation to the [Hong Kong] Government at every opportunity.”

The Report pointed out: “There are particular concerns for the freedoms currently enjoyed by Falun Gong supporters in the Region.”

It notes that “there has been widespread concern and opposition over the new law, which many fear will end the relative freedom the territory enjoys compared to mainland China.” The Report also quoted Amnesty International as saying that the proposed law will “criminalise those who peacefully exercise their right to freedom of expression and association.” It highlighted concerns that the draft bill published on February 13 2003 would “make it possible for the authorities in Beijing to proscribe any organisation it ‘frowns upon’ in Hong Kong.

The Report notes that the UK government “retained ‘serious concerns’ about a range of human rights issues [in China], including the treatment of Falun Gong supporters.” It also pointed out that “the rate of progress in the Human Rights Dialogue with China remains too slow.” The Foreign Affairs Committee recommend that the UK government “give serious consideration to a fundamental re-evaluation of its work with China on the issue of human rights, given that the current strategy appears to be yielding few tangible results.”