Vice-President of the European Parliament: "The greatest mistake committed by the Chinese Communist Party is to crack down on belief"

Prior to the EU-China human rights dialogue, eight non-governmental human rights groups in Europe held a seminar at the Silken Berlaymont Brussels Hotel, next to the EU headquarters. The Vice-President of the European Parliament Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott stated at the seminar: "The least allowable thing for any government is to crack down on belief".

Vice-President of the European Parliament Edward McMillan-Scott stated at the seminar: "The least allowable thing for any government is to crack down on belief"

Eight non-governmental human rights groups in Europe, such as the German International Society for Human Rights, Human Rights without Frontiers International, and the Belgian Falun Gong Association, jointly sponsored the seminar at the Silken Berlaymont Brussels Hotel, next to the EU headquarters, on May 10th, 2007. Those present called on the EU to take action before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to ensure that China’s human rights will be improved by then. The Vice-President of the European Parliament took part in the seminar and stated in his speech that the greatest mistake committed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was to crack down on belief.

Mr. Scott said, “ The greatest mistake committed by the Chinese communist regime is to crack down on Falun Gong practitioners, on Christians, on Muslims, or on any righteous religion that will never yield to any regime.”

In May, 2006, Mr. Scott had paid a visit to China and personally talked to some of the persecuted there. He pointed out human rights situations in China were deteriorating.

Mr. Scott said, “There is no proof that China is transforming itself. During my visit to China, my talk to any individual proved that China is stepping backward, getting more barbarous, more dogmatic, more brutal, and more intolerant.”

Representatives from non-governmental human rights groups like the German International Society for Human Rights, the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong, and the Uygur Information Centre made statements at the seminar. Mr. Willy Fautre from Human Rights without Frontiers International hosted the seminar. He hoped that the seminar could offer reference for the EU-China human rights dialogue in Berlin next week. Further, he raised fifteen concrete proposals in the hope that the EU could urge China to improve its human rights situations.