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China Continues To Persecute
Religious Groups, State's Birkle Says
By Katie Xiao
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington - The repression of citizens seeking to
exercise fundamental freedoms recognized by the
international community continues to be a systemic
problem in China, says Gretchen Birkle, acting
principal deputy assistant secretary of the U.S.
Department of State's Bureau of Democracy, Human
Rights and Labor.
¡°Hopes that the pace of political reform would
quicken and opportunities for public discourse would
expand when the fourth generation of leaders came into
power to date have not been realized,¡± Birkle said in
testimony before the House Subcommittee on Africa,
Global Human Rights and International Operations July
21.
There has been some positive movement in China, Birkle
said, noting the release of Uighur activist Rebiya
Kadeer from prison in March. China has also agreed to
take the following steps in advancing human rights:
• Give prisoners convicted of political crimes the
same right to sentence reductions and paroles that are
available to other prisoners;
• Host a visit by the United Nations' Special
Rapporteur on Torture;
• Host a visit by the U.S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom;
• Issue an invitation to the U.N. Special Rapporteur
on Religious Intolerance;
• Release a public statement that clarifies how
religious education of minors is consistent with
Chinese law and policy; and
• Open an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
office by the end of July.
Nonetheless, Birkle said, the Chinese government
continues to commit numerous and serious human rights
abuses - including torture, mistreatment of prisoners,
incommunicado detention and denial of due process -
and maintains close watch over activities that it
perceives to be vehicles for political dissent.
¡°Chinese authorities remained quick to suppress
religious, political and social groups that they
perceived as threatening to government authority or
national stability,¡± she said.
Birkle criticized the Chinese government's use of the
global War on Terror "as a pretext for cracking down
on Uighur Muslims, who peacefully expressed dissent or
sought to practice their faith, and on independent
Muslim religious leaders."
"Where there are genuine terrorist activities, the
U.S. certainly supports measures to address them, but
where the evidence is lacking, the U.S. calls on China
not to equate disagreement with terror. China must
draw a bright line between legitimate non-violent
dissent and terrorism," she said.
Birkle also noted that the Chinese government labeled
Falun Gong an ¡° evil cult¡± in July 1999 and has
engaged in a harsh crackdown of its members.
According to the State Department official, whether or
not a group is classified as a cult depends on the
Chinese authorities and is "based on no discernible
criteria other than the Government¡¯s desire to
maintain control."
Birkle also expressed concern at "overly broad and
arbitrarily enforced" laws and regulations that make
it "difficult for citizens seeking to express their
political or religious views peacefully to ascertain
the line between the permissible and the illegal."
In light of these problems, the Department of State
has taken various steps to promote increased respect
in China for international human rights standards and
democratic principles, according to Birkle.
¡°The State Department¡¯s approach is based on two
basic principles: that international pressure can over
time encourage China to take steps to bring its human
rights practices into compliance with international
standards and that there are opportunities to support
those within China who see structural reform in
China¡¯s best interests,¡± she said.
According to Birkle, her bureau spent $13.5 million in
2004 to support activities in China that targeted
systemic problems related to the judicial system, the
level of public participation and the strength of
civil society. In the coming year, the bureau looks to
program an additional $19 million for projects that
encourage public participation in governance, labor
rights protection and democratic values in China.
Prior to Birkle¡¯s statement, Representative
Christopher Smith - the chairman of the Subcommittee
on Africa, Global Human Rights and International
Operations - also voiced concerns about China¡¯s
ongoing campaign against people of different faiths
and its treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in
particular.
¡°The suffering of peaceful Falun Gong practitioners
has been especially intense,¡± Smith said. ¡°Whatever
one may say about the merits of their beliefs, the
evidence is very clear that Falun Gong practitioners
are peaceful individuals who want to be left alone to
practice their beliefs as they see fit.¡±
Smith criticized China's "continuing refusal to adhere
to the standards of the civilized world" and urged the
international community to take a stand against
China's repression of basic rights.
"What is at stake here is not only the rights and
dignity of Falun Gong practitioners and the Chinese
people, but our own deeply cherished freedoms," he
said.
The full text of Birkle's testimony (PDF, 11 pages) is
available on the Web site of the House International
Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights
and International Operations.
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