UNCHR: Send China A Message On Human Rights

Greetings!

As an American citizen who has lived in China (Hong Kong) and has deep respect for Chinese people and culture, and whose father served in China during World War II, I write to you today to ask your government to make every legal and peaceful effort to condemn the Chinese government for its ongoing persecution of practitioners of Falun Gong, and also of Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and other people of faith.

The Meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) is a great opportunity to tell China that your government finds it unacceptable to imprison, torture and deny freedom to people because of their peaceful spiritual practices.

The number of Falun Gong practitioners tortured to death is nearing 200, but many more have been beaten, detained, tortured, and so on. There are reports of women being stripped and gang raped by violent criminals or by the police themselves.

I call your attention to the current Amnesty International petition (see below) as further evidence of the growingly international outcry against the recent Chinese actions.

As you may know, US President George Bush has announced his government's intention to table a China resolution at the current UNCHR meeting in Geneva. It is very important for your representatives to vote for the resolution to censor China for its human rights violations against Falun Gong practitioners, Christians, Tibetan Buddhists, and others.

This is the year that your vote can make a real difference. A similar vote last year was narrowly defeated when a no-action motion passed by a vote of 22-18 with 12 abstentions.

If a country with China's human rights practices is permitted to avoid such notice, this will render the UNCHR, itself, functionally meaningless.

Please take firm steps to tell China "No!" No to torture. No to rape. No to beatings. No to imprisonment of peaceful practitioners.

I ask this in the name of humanity and of all that is right.

An American (name omitted)

The Amnesty International Petition:

The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China

Zhu Rongji

Zhongnanhai, Beijing

People's Republic of China

Prime Minister,

Amnesty International is concerned by the human rights violations resulting from the repressive measures taken against Falun Gong by the Chinese Government.

Amnesty International is concerned at the number of people held in detention, sent without trial to labour camps or condemned to prison for having peacefully exercised their fundamental human rights. According to numerous accounts, Falun Gong practitioners in detention have undergone torture and ill treatment. Amnesty International equally deplores the human rights violations resulting from the repression, nationwide, against other groups termed "heretical organizations".

Amnesty International categorically denounces all violations of human rights resulting from the repressive measures against Falun Gong and other so-called "heretical organizations" by the Chinese Government.

The signatories call upon the Chinese Government to put an end to the arbitrary detention, the gross injustice and other human rights violations resulting from this campaign of repression.