E.U. Open Hearing on Human Rights in China

They discussed religious freedom, minority rights and political prisoners in China, among other issues. The E.U. Parliament Subcommittee on Human Rights held a hearing in Brussels on Tuesday.

Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Heidi Hautala, expressed the wish of the European Parliament.

[Heidi Hautala, Chairwoman, E.U. Subcommittee on Human Rights]:
“Our wish and objective clearly is that we want China to open up and guarantee its citizens civic and political rights.”

Hautala asked about Hu Jia, a rights activist and a laureate of the 2008 Sakharov prize. Hu was sentenced to prison earlier this year for allegedly “subverting State power.” According to Swedish Ambassador for Human Rights, Jand Nordlander, Chinese authorities have not given any information about Hu Jia, other than when he was put in prison.

Members of the E.U. Parliament also criticized the Chinese communist regime’s treatment of Falun Gong practitioners, and ethnic and religious minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang.

Retired Canadian MP David Kilgour co-authored the book “Bloody Harvest, The Killing of the Falun Gong for their Organs.” He was invited to speak at the hearing about the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China.

[David Kilgour, Author & Retired Canadian MP]:
“Colossal misdeeds of the 21st century. It’s been going on now, as you know, for over 10 years. It’s gotta stop. It’s a crime against humanity and it’s continuing to go on.”

Participants also discussed the usefulness of the E.U.-China Human Rights Dialogue held in Beijing on November 20. Some believe it provides a mechanism to keep pressuring the communist regime on human rights. While others think it failed to produce results, calling it a „marginalized dialogue among officials.“

Other recommendations from the hearing include ending the death penalty and creating a special unit within the E.U. delegation in China which would monitor human rights situations on the ground.

(NTDTV)