Dear Mr.
We appreciate your detailed correspondence, dated July 12th 2004.
China’s human rights record has been and is still of great concern to us, as it has shown no improvement. Please be assured that the CDU Task Force for the Protection of Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid (on the federal level), within the scope of its mandate, has given great attention to religious freedom and freedom of belief worldwide for many years. Such attention includes the plight of China’s Falun Gong adherents, which was detailed at length in the International Society for Human Rights Resolution (“ISHR”). During all our activities, be they parliamentary initiatives, media releases and discussions, we have continuously raised the repression of Falun Gong by the Chinese regime. The CDU/CSU (Christian Social Union) Lower House of the German Parliament members have accepted and agreed with the ISHR declarations since quite far back.
Our coalition also is one of those who have appealed for a united strategy by all Western countries in dealing with the People's Republic of China (“PRC”). I refer herewith to the China proposal “DS 14/2604.” Moreover, we have brought this proposal forward during the 2004 UN Human Rights Commission Session under proposition DS “15/535.”
Regarding the demand for the visit of UN special investigators in China, the Chinese regime has invited on many occasions, during the past years, a number of UN special investigators and has also received the visit of the former UN High-Commissioner Mary Robinson. We must admit that this activity has come to an abrupt halt. The visits have ceased.
As my past activities clearly show, the CDU/CSU, at the federal level, is deeply committed to worldwide observance of human rights. This certainly includes the defence of Falun Gong adherents.
Sincerely,
Dirk Fischer.
Hamburg CDU Regional Chairman.
Translated from German at http://de.clearharmony.net/articles/200410/20148.html
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