§ Ms Glenda JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights record of the Chinese Government in respect of practitioners of Falun Gong; and what steps he is taking to promote human rights in China. [126669]
§ Mr. BattleWe are deeply concerned about the treatment of Falun Gong adherents, including the passing of severe sentences, by the Chinese authorities since the movement was banned in July 1999. We and EU partners have made this clear to the Chinese Government on a number of occasions and urged them to comply with the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which China signed in October 1998.
On 20 June I called in the Chinese Ambassador to London and expressed directly my concerns to Mr. Ma on the treatment of dissidents in China, and on the alleged intimidation in China of family members of a Falun Gong practitioner who is a UK citizen.
We are pressing for greater respect for human rights in China through our bilateral human rights dialogue with the Chinese Government. During the last round of the dialogue in February 2000 we agreed to establish a joint expert working group to work towards the ratification and implementation of the International Covenants on Civil and Political, and on Economic, Social and Cultural 162W Rights. An invitation was also extended to the Foreign Secretary's Death Penalty Panel to visit China to discuss issues relating to abolition of the Death Penalty throughout China.