March 23, 2004
Despite Chinese warnings, the United States plans to introduce a resolution
condemning Beijing for suppressing religious freedom and other rights violations
at the annual gathering of the U.N.'s top human rights body.
Announcing the decision, the State Department cited a "backsliding" in China's
human rights record over the past year.
Beijing's foreign ministry responded to the news by saying China now had no
choice but to suspend bilateral exchanges with the U.S. on human rights.
Earlier, a Chinese government official warned the U.S. to "think three times
before acting" against China in Geneva, where the annual U.N. Commission on
Human Rights meeting is currently underway.
The decision to go ahead with a resolution targeting China comes after a
two-year interval.
Last year, to the dismay of human rights campaigners, the U.S. chose not to
bring a resolution against China, citing leadership changes and "some limited
but significant progress."
Washington also did not sponsor a China resolution in 2002, but on that occasion
it was because the U.S. had not been voted onto the 53-member UNCHR.
Before 2002, the U.S. each year sponsored a resolution at the Geneva session,
censuring Beijing for its rights record.
China managed to block the move, by gathering sufficient support from allies,
mostly in the developing world, to prevent having the resolution brought to a
vote - or even discussed, by getting a procedural action of "no-action" passed
instead.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. goal was "to encourage
China to take positive, concrete steps to meet its international [rights]
obligations."
Washington called on other Commission members to support the resolution, and
also to vote against any no-action motions to prevent debate on the resolution.
"Such no-action motions prevent the only global body charged specifically with
human rights from fulfilling its mandate," he said.
Boucher said he knew of no co-sponsors for the resolution yet, but the U.S.
would be circulating the resolution in the days ahead.
Acknowledging the likely difficulties ahead, he said that although a number of
countries were concerned about the rights situation in China, "it's sometimes
difficult to turn that concern into actual votes in the Commission,
Earlier, Human Rights Watch urged the U.S. not only to sponsor a resolution, but
to work energetically to line up the support needed to get it passed.
"Without a meaningful lobbying effort, sponsorship is an empty exercise," said
the organization's Asia division head, Brad Adams.
"The U.N. Human Rights Commission presents a rare forum for full public scrutiny
and public pressure on countries that abuse their citizens, and China's record
should be addressed in full view of the world," he said.
Adams also said Beijing's "implicit threat of deteriorating bilateral relations"
with the U.S. should not prevent the U.S. from condemning abuses in China.
Earlier this month, the House of Representatives passed a resolution calling on
the Bush Administration to insist that China adhere to human rights norms and to
sponsor a resolution on China at Geneva.
This year's State Department report on global human rights took China to task
for extra judicial killings, detentions of democrats, Christians and
journalists, repression of the Falun Gong meditation movement, and abuses
against Tibetans and Muslim Uighurs.
[...]
This year's UNCHR session began last Monday and runs until April 23. Motions and
resolutions are passed by a simple majority of all 53 members voting, excluding
abstentions.
Members of the body this year include a number of nations rights campaigners
regard as serious violators of human rights, including Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Cuba
and Zimbabwe.
The full list is: The United States, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria,
Bahrain, Bhutan, Brazil, Britain, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica,
Croatia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, France, Gabon,
Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru,
Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka,
Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.
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