§ Lord Chanasked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Chinese Government regarding the imprisonment of house church leader Xu Shaungfu and the recent apparent killing by Chinese police of two Christians, Gu Xianggao and Jiang Zongxiu. [HL4076]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe are aware of the reports of the detention of Xu Shaungfu and the deaths in custody of Gu Xianggao and Jiang Zongxiu. We continue to monitor these cases.
We are very concerned about religious freedom and the treatment of prisoners in China. We raised these issues during the last round of the UK China Human Rights Dialogue in May. We continue to press the Chinese to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which forbids torture and permits freedom of religious belief. I discussed ICCPR ratification with Vice Minister, Zhang Yesui, during my trip to China in July.