China's human rights 'action plan' short on any action, say rights groups
| Beijing
A two-year government 鈥渁ction plan鈥� to protect human rights in China has proved to be 鈥渓argely a series of unfulfilled promises,鈥� a leading international human rights watchdog has found.
Over the past two years, when the National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010) was in force, 鈥渢he government has systematically continued to violate many of the most basic rights the document addresses,鈥� says Human Rights Watch in a review of the plan鈥檚 influence published Tuesday.
Local human rights activists agree. 鈥淭here has been no improvement in the Chinese human rights situation over the past two years,鈥� says Teng Biao, an activist lawyer and teacher. 鈥淥n the contrary, things have been going backwards.鈥�
The Information Office of the State Council, China鈥檚 cabinet 鈥� the body that drew up the NHRAP in April 2009 鈥� did not respond to requests for comment on its implementation.
When it was first published, some rights activists saw the plan as an encouraging sign that the Chinese government was recommitting itself to rights enshrined in China鈥檚 constitution and law.
Just a PR exercise?
Instead, it has turned out to be 鈥渕ore of a public relations exercise than a meaningful tool for protecting and promoting human rights鈥� says Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch鈥檚 Asia advocacy director.
It did not protect over 100 activists who were detained, put under house arrest, or subjected to police surveillance after imprisoned writer Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel peace prize, the report points out.
That wave of repression 鈥渟hows the chasm between the aspirations embodied in the NHRAP and the government鈥檚 actual behavior,鈥� says the report. 鈥淭he government has in fact significantly rolled back key civil and political rights.鈥�
Forced confessions still a problem
Though the government plan pledged to prohibit 鈥渢he extraction of confessions by torture,鈥� torture continues to be a problem, government officials acknowledge. Last Saturday, a vice president of the Supreme Peoples Court, Zhang Jun was quoted by government radio as saying the court would henceforth strike down death sentences in cases where evidence had been collected illegally.
鈥淔orced confessions do exist in reality and lawyers sometimes state in court that torture has been used,鈥� Mr. Zhang said, according to China National Radio.
The human rights plan also promised to punish officials guilty of 鈥渋llegal, wrongful, or prolonged detention.鈥� This has not deterred government officials from 鈥渄isappearing鈥� prominent human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who has not been seen or heard from since last April.
At that time he recounted to a journalist from the Associated Press how he had been beaten and mistreated during the previous 14 months of secret detention by Chinese security forces.
The Human Rights Watch review also points out that blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng has been kept under house arrest, incommunicado, since he finished serving a four year prison term last September, and that Liu Xiaobo鈥檚 wife has also not been allowed to leave her home since her husband was awarded the Nobel prize.
鈥淲e can see from the government鈥檚 actions over the past two years that the plan has been a failure,鈥� says Pu Zhiqiang, a lawyer who has taken on a number of politically sensitive cases. 鈥淚t may have started with good intentions, but the authorities鈥� concrete behavior has been going backwards.
鈥淭he plan was just a gesture to the world,鈥� adds Mr. Teng. 鈥淚t was designed just to throw sand in peoples鈥� eyes.鈥�
