§ Lord Alton of Liverpoolasked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations are being made to the Government of the Republic of China about the reported reimprisonment of Bishop Shi Enxiang, following the previous 33 years in gaols and forced labour camps. [HL1902]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office(Baroness Scotland of Asthall)We have raised our concerns about the reported detention of Bishop Shi Enxiang on 27 April with the Embassy of the People's Republic of China, and will continue to follow this case closely.
We regularly raise concerns about the harassment of Christians in our Human Rights Dialogue with China, the latest round of which was held in Beijing on 12–14 February. We made it clear that such 118WA harassment was unacceptable and not in keeping with the provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which China signed in October 1998.