By Tenzin Tsering
Dharamsala, June 23 – A coalition of 11 groups working for human rights in China and Tibet have written to the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appealing him to put human rights on top of his agenda during his talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao before and during the G20 Summit.
‘The Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China’ comprises of Amnesty International Canada, Canada Tibet Committee, Falun Dafa Association of Canada, Federation for a Democratic China (Canada), and Students for a Free Tibet Canada, among others.
The members of the coalition met Tuesday in the lowest level of Canada’s Parliament building to present a letter to Harper. “The range of human rights violation experienced by millions of people across China including Uyghurs, Tibetans, Falun Gong practitioners, democracy-activists, human rights lawyers and advocates, trade unionists and many others is wholly unacceptable,” argued the Coalition in its letter to Harper, adding that China’s “Increased prosperity must not be mistaken for increased human rights protection.”
“Harper has raised human rights in the past, but the abuses continue and nobody is held accountable”, said Alex Neve, Secretary General for Amnesty International Canada.
Harper’s earlier statement of “tremendous opportunity to promote Canada’s values and interests on the world stage…and to champion freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law” is reminded in the Coalition’s letter to the Canadian leader.
Urging Harper to make use of the advantage in hosting the G20 summit, the Coaliation asked him to send a “clear message to China and all countries taking part in the Summit that G20 membership must carry with it a clear and demonstrable commitment to international human rights standards.”
It also wants China, with its growing clout in global affairs to assume similar responsibility and interest in improving its human rights records.
“China has both the potential to shield and protect governments with dismal human rights records and the ability to exert meaningful pressure on those governments such as North Korea, Burma, and Sudan to change,” reminded the Coalition.
“It is essential that G20 leaders make an unambiguous presentation to President Hu over China’s use of the death penalty, lack of fair judicial process, religious repression, exploitation of natural resources and continued human rights abuses of the Tibetan people,” said Tenchoe Dorjee from The Canada Tibet Committee. Expressing concerns over the imprisonment and execution of Tibetan protesters arrested in the China’s clampdown following the nationwide protests in Tibet in 2008 Tenchoe said none have received a fair judicial process.
Chinese President Hu is currently on his state visit to Canada and will attend the G20 summit scheduled for June 26, 27 in Toronto.
