Canada, 10 other countries call out China for torturing human rights lawyers

[Tennis]

Eleven countries have jointly called on the Chinese government to investigate reports of torture against human rights lawyers and urged Beijing to abandon a controversial detention system that holds suspects in secret locations for months at a time.

The unusually direct criticism comes in a letter from the Chinese diplomatic missions of the signatory countries, including Canada, that expresses “growing concern over recent claims of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in cases concerning detained human rights lawyers and other human rights defenders.”

The signatories call for China to end the practice of “residential surveillance at a designated place,” a Chinese form of pretrial custody for sensitive cases that allows suspects to be held for up to six months, often without families or lawyers being told where they are.

Residential surveillance amounts to “incommunicado detention in secret places, putting detainees at a high risk of torture or ill-treatment,” the letter states. China should, it says, remove all suspects from residential surveillance and repeal enabling legislation.

“Detaining people without any contact with the outside world for long periods of time is contrary to China’s international human rights obligations,” the letter says.

It calls for a prompt and independent investigation into “credible claims of torture” against lawyers Xie Yang, Li Heping, Wang Quanzhang and Li Chunfu, as well as activist Wu Gan.

Under Xi Jinping, Chinese authorities have waged what critics have called a war on civil society, detaining and arresting labour activists, women’s rights campaigners and human rights defenders. Hundreds of human rights activists and lawyers have been questioned and detained, Amnesty International has said.

Mr. Xie has told his lawyers he was punched, kicked and kneed by interrogators who threatened: “I’m going to torment you until you go insane.” Authorities used electric shocks to torture Li Heping and Mr. Wang, their wives were told. Family members of Li Chunfu said 500 days of secret detention left him with a mind that was “shattered.” Wu Gan has said he was not allowed to sleep for several days and nights.

The Globe and Mail obtained a copy of the Feb. 27 letter, which has not been made public. It was addressed to Guo Shengkun, China’s Minister of Public Security. It was signed by ambassadors and chargés d’affaires from Australia, Canada, Japan and Switzerland, along with seven European Union member countries: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Neither China’s public security ministry nor its foreign ministry responded to requests for comment on Monday.

“Canada raises human rights with our Chinese counterparts regularly, using a variety of methods,” an embassy spokesperson said in a statement. “Sometimes it is public, but often these issues are best raised privately, where we can have a frank discussion.” The Japanese embassy declined comment, since the letter was sent through a diplomatic channel. The German embassy said it is “not in a position to comment.”

Joint action is often the most effective way to pressure China, human rights advocates say.

“Beijing always hears a clearer and firmer message when it’s delivered by multiple governments,” said Sophie Richardson, China director for Human Rights Watch. The issuance of joint letters is “a strong indication of the widespread concern about human rights erosions in China today.”

Shortly after the letter was sent, Chinese government-controlled media published a week-long series of articles and social media posts lashing out at what People’s Daily called “FAKE NEWS” in Western media reports on the torture of Mr. Xie, the human rights lawyer. State-run news agency Xinhua called Mr. Xie’s accusations of mistreatment “nothing but cleverly orchestrated lies” orchestrated by a legal team “aiming to cater to the tastes of Western institutions and media organizations and to use public opinion to pressure police and smear the Chinese government.”

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle34346186/

Great to see. I think no matter who we are, we can support this action of supporting human rights. Enough is enough. Torture is unacceptable!

[stomination]

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/almost-half...s/yahoous/news

But get those illegals out!

[May90]

They keep talking about it, and yet the level of interaction with China increases, and the human right issues get unpunished - just like with Saudi Arabia. If the governments really cared about the human rights issues in China and were open and honest about it, they would recognize Taiwan, impose heavy sanctions on China for human rights violations and financially support the Chinese dissidents.

Still, I guess, it is better to make statements like this, than do nothing at all...

[Macaquerie]

They keep talking about it, and yet the level of interaction with China increases, and the human right issues get unpunished - just like with Saudi Arabia. If the governments really cared about the human rights issues in China and were open and honest about it, they would recognize Taiwan, impose heavy sanctions on China for human rights violations and financially support the Chinese dissidents.

Still, I guess, it is better to make statements like this, than do nothing at all...

The thing is, our concern for human rights violations was never really anything more than a form of "virtue signaling" where we could act superior to the uncivilized commies while at the same time having a pretext to meddle in their affairs and fuck with them as we saw fit. As we no longer really see fit to do so, we aren't so committed to defending human rights anymore, though we still need to keep up the pretense from time to time to save face.

[May90]

The thing is, our concern for human rights violations was never really anything more than a form of "virtue signaling" where we could act superior to the uncivilized commies while at the same time having a pretext to meddle in their affairs and fuck with them as we saw fit. As we no longer really see fit to do so, we aren't so committed to defending human rights anymore, though we still need to keep up the pretense from time to time to save face.

I understand that, it is a sad reality. The government has little to gain financially and politically from stopping torture in China, so the only way it will ever seriously address this issue is if the population demands it. But with the current political climate in the US and on the West in general, when people fight more with each other over petty disagreements, rather than working towards some global cause, it doesn't seem realistic.

[Calfredd]

Great to see. I think no matter who we are, we can support this action of supporting human rights. Enough is enough. Torture is unacceptable!

And yet China is one of your top trading partners.

The thing is, our concern for human rights violations was never really anything more than a form of "virtue signaling" where we could act superior to the uncivilized commies while at the same time having a pretext to meddle in their affairs and fuck with them as we saw fit. As we no longer really see fit to do so, we aren't so committed to defending human rights anymore, though we still need to keep up the pretense from time to time to save face.

Found a good example (I meant the OP being the example).

[Deleted]

Eleven countries have jointly called on the Chinese government to investigate reports of torture against human rights lawyers and urged Beijing to abandon a controversial detention system that holds suspects in secret locations for months at a time.

We need to get the ACLU on this, pronto!

They should send a large contingent of lawyers over there to help out those poor lawyers and advocate for their human rights.

[infinit]

how sinophobic of us.

[Stelio Kontos]

Enough is enough. Torture is unacceptable!

Put your money where your mouth is and stop trading with them then.

[Keosen]

Nothing is unacceptable for cancerous capitalism.
China is a capitalist's wet dream, it's not a coincidence that every country with poor to none human/worker rights are best buds in business with USA.

[Tennis]

And yet China is one of your top trading partners.Found a good example (I meant the OP being the example).

They are. So it is impressive that Canada is standing up to them besides this. Give credit where credit is due bud.

[Calfredd]

They are. So it is impressive that Canada is standing up to them besides this. Give credit where credit is due bud.

You act like Orlong when he claims to boycott a company because they did something he didn't like; you are all talk.

[God-King Skovald]

Canada probably would have been cool with it if they were bashing their brains in with a club instead.

[ghotihook]

Ok so they wrote a letter and said, "You are doing bad stuff and you should stop". Are they actually proposing anything sanctions? Penalties?

[Deleted]

Great to see. I think no matter who we are, we can support this action of supporting human rights. Enough is enough. Torture is unacceptable!

Where are you when North Koreans get imprisoned after getting catched watching South Korean TV? Nowhere to be seen, hypocrite.

[Tennis]

Yeah! Stop torturing or my country with its 68,000 troops is gonna... gonna... gonna send a strongly worded letter! Freedom!

Diplomacy bud. Please read up on it. There's way more to the world than war.

[Allybeboba]

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/almost-half...s/yahoous/news

But get those illegals out!

Probably should make this it's own thread if you want it to get some attention.

- - - Updated - - -

Ok so they wrote a letter and said, "You are doing bad stuff and you should stop". Are they actually proposing anything sanctions? Penalties?

The letter is step one.

[May90]

Diplomacy bud. Please read up on it. There's way more to the world than war.

Saying "Torture is wrong. Bad China, bad!" hardly is going to stop mass torture and execution of dissidents, don't you think?

[Deleted]

Saying "Torture is wrong. Bad China, bad!" hardly is going to stop mass torture and execution of dissidents, don't you think?

Actually, communism was brought down with discussions in countries from the warsaw pact.

[May90]

Actually, communism was brought down with discussions in countries from the warsaw pact.

It was one of a multitude of reasons though, far from the most significant ones. You could say that Helsinki Accords played a major role in it, since Soviet Union was pretty much forced to sign and, at least, on paper uphold it, which was incompatible with the totalitarian government. I don't see Western countries pressuring China to sign something like this, however.