HC Deb 06 February 1990 vol 166 cc534-5W
Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he intends to take to ensure that the issue of human rights violations by China is raised at the forthcoming United Nations human rights commission.

Mr. Waldegrave

With our European Community partners, we have already raised our concerns about human rights violations in China at the current session of the commission on human rights. On 2 February, the presidency statement at the commission called upon the Chinese authorities to guarantee full respect of the human rights of their citizens throughout China including Tibet.

Mr. Simon Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government will ratify the second optional protocol to the international covenant on civil and political rights.

Mr. Waldegrave

Successive British Governments have taken the view that the decision whether or not to abolish or to reintroduce the death penalty should be left to individual Members of Parliament voting according to their own judgment. Accordingly, we will not take on an international obligation on the abolition of the death penalty.