VOA media report

24 Aug 2002 02:51 UTC

[..]China's critics said its concerns for security and development come at the expense of human rights..[..].

Human rights advocates, however, repeatedly criticize China. They include members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent body established by Congress and the President in 1998. The
commission has called for an end to the detention and ill treatment of Chinese dissidents, including minority Muslim Uighurs in the western part of the country, Buddhists in Tibet, and members of Falun Gong,[..]. The commission's Lawrence Goodrich said China is disregarding international agreements signed by its leaders, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"And Article 18 of that declaration regards freedom of religion, and China is in almost complete violation of that article," Mr. Goodrich said.

Mr. Goodrich said many developing countries with problems similar to China's, in the view of his commission, have far greater human rights. [..]

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has asked Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage to raise its human rights concerns when he visits China Sunday.