By Karen Meirik
For a year and a day the Chinese government has been promising the international community that it would improve the human rights situation in its country, but China’s priorities differ somewhat from the West’s. The exhibition “Human Rights in China” (17-26 November in Beijing) shows how material rights like food, shelter, clothes and work are at the forefront of China’s vision about human rights.
Li Xiaojun, one of the organisers of the exhibition believes this emphasis on material things is appropriate: “It’s difficult to vote on an empty stomach. China has always been a poor country and still has some 23 million people on the poverty line. Even so, we are proud of the progress which has been made since 1978. Then there were ten times as many poor.”
Blocked
In exhibition hall three there are examples on display showing the increase in press freedom and internet use. But if the 123 million Chinese internet-users were to ‘google’ on ‘human rights in China’, they would find that many foreign webpages are blocked.
“No, you can access most webpages,” maintains Mr Li.
“But there are exceptions. Amnesty International, because they are very unfriendly towards China. They spread inaccurate information. And Voice of America [VOA], who declared in 1989 that our leader Deng Xiaoping was dead.”
“That is just one example of the very obvious lies. Just like BBC World, which gave incorrect information and drew from it some baseless conclusions. We are blocking their websites, because we are opposed to that sort of reporting.” The feeling is mutual. Amnesty’s annual reports contain lists of human rights violations by China. High up on the list of priorities is religious persecution, the unfair administration of justice, capriciousness of officials, police and judges and the oppression of ethnic minorities like Tibetans and Uighurs. Just as serious is the detention of lawyers, journalists and others who are committed to fighting human rights violations.
Smiling
There’s nothing in the exhibition about these issues, although there is a collection of photographs of a Tibetan national festival, of school projects for poor girls and of many, very many broadly smiling officials who are involved in human rights projects.
“If I had organised this exhibition for foreigners, I would have explained more about the problems and challenges which we face, but the Chinese love cheerful things. No one would come to look at mistreatment like abuse and torture. People want to walk out of the door with a happy feeling.”
Even so, only a few cheerful people are viewing the exhibition. Some of the visitors – plain-clothes police officers – keep a close eye on another section of the visitors. The exhibition seems to be a magnet for ‘petitioners’ – Chinese from the whole country who come to Beijing to seek justice. Often they are poor farmers who have been dispossessed of their land, citizens who were arrested by the local police without any charges being brought and mistreated – or people who fall victim to corrupt officials.
Last hope
They have their last hope fixed on the highest leaders in Beijing and they try to give their files to lawyers and journalists who visit the exhibition, in the hope that someone from outside will help them. But they are cautious.
“In this hall there are at least ten spies walking around,”
grumbled a male teacher who wanted to stay anonymous.
“If these petitioners fall into the hands of the local authorities, than they really will have problems.”
He views the exhibition with a critical eye.
“I’m not here for the exhibition, but for these people. They are telling the true story about human rights in China.”
