(Minghui.org) The Canadian Coalition on Human Rights in China, an organization composed of ten civil groups including Amnesty International and the Canadian Falun Dafa Association, issued a statement on November 20, 2020, demanding that the Canadian government take action on Beijing’s continuous violation of human rights and prioritize human rights issues in making their foreign policy with China.
The ten members of the Coalition “represent groups across the country who are deeply concerned by systemic and unrelenting violations of human rights by the Government of China.” They are especially troubled that the harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders and pro-democracy advocates have extended onto Canadian soil, by individuals and organizations with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.
The human rights defenders and pro-democracy advocates that are facing “very direct” harassment and intimidation in Canada include Falun Gong practitioners, Uighurs, Tibetans, and people from Hong Kong and Chinese communities. “This is intolerable and in breach of international human rights norms as well as Canadian laws.”
“We welcome the recent statement by Prime Minister Trudeau calling attention to the intensification of intimidation and harassment, here in Canada, by agents and proxies of the Chinese government, in an effort to silence and intimidate voices raised against wholesale intimidation, cultural genocide, linguistic suppression and curtailing the freedom of conscience and religion.” the statement said.
The statement warned that if the government didn’t take real actions, the Chinese government and its proxies will escalate their harassment and intimidation in Canada. “We know from long experience, that hesitation is read as weakness by the Government of China and will be exploited. We urge the Canadian government to act now and take up our recommendations.”
Below are the five recommendations the China Coalition has for the Canadian Government:
1. Establish a foreign agents transparency scheme to guard against interference and intimidation in Canada carried out by individuals and organizations affiliated with foreign governments and entities.
2. Make amendments to the Criminal Code to further define criminal activities related to foreign influence and interference.
3. Invoke the Justice for Victims of Corrupt Foreign Officials Act to sanction Chinese government officials who are responsible and/or complicit in gross human rights violations.
4. Create reporting and support mechanisms for victims of foreign state harassment, in collaboration with Canadian diasporic communities.
5. Expedite and waive costs of family reunification for those fleeing persecution, whether they are Uighur, Tibetan, Hong Kong or Chinese human rights activists or dissidents, or Falun Gong practitioners.
The ten members that issued the statement include: Amnesty International Canada (English & Francophone Branches), Falun Dafa Association of Canada, Canada-Hong Kong Link, Alliance Canada-Hong Kong, Canada Tibet Committee, Federation for a Democratic China, Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, Toronto Association for Democracy in China, Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement, and Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.