China human rights situation raised in parliament

An Urgent Question on China’s human rights situation was tabled today in the UK parliament.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) welcomes today’s Urgent Question to the Government in the House of Commons concerning human rights in China, tabled by Fiona Bruce MP, Chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission.

The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs was asked “‘if he will make a statement on human rights in China, following reports that human rights lawyer Zhang Kai imminently faces a severe prison sentence or the death penalty, for defending civil liberties.”

Lawyer Zhang Kai was taken away by police on 25 August in Wenzhou and has been accused of “gathering and disturbing social order, crime of stealing, spying, buying, and illegally providing state secrets and intelligence to entities outside of China.”

Zhang Kai defended Pastor Huang Yizi, who served a one year sentence after protesting the removal of crosses and demolition of churches in Zhejiang Province. Zhang also helped form a lawyers group to protect church crosses and offered advice to numerous churches facing the removal of their cross. He has not been granted access to legal representation. His imprisonment at an “undisclosed location” suggests that he will be held at an extra-legal facility, or “black jail”, where there is an increased risk of ill-treatment and torture.

Members of Parliament questioned the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the human rights situation in China and raised specific cases of Chinese citizens who have had their rights infringed. Those named include Christian human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who was tortured in prison; Bishop Shi, who was imprisoned for 14 years and was reported to have died earlier this year at an undisclosed location; Hong Kong pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong; artist and political activist Ai Weiwei and Nobel Laureate Liu Xiaobo, who remains under house arrest. Also mentioned was the case of Lawyer Wang Yu, whose arrest and detention in an unknown location sparked protests from fellow rights lawyers which are believed to have led to mass arrests and detentions of rights lawyers on an unprecedented scale since July 2015.

Violations of freedom of religion or belief for Buddhists in Tibet, Muslims in Xinjiang Province and Christians in Zhejiang Province were also highlighted. China Aid President Bob Fu also welcomed the Urgent Question and said “it’s time to take action to address this urgent concern”.

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said, “We warmly welcome Fiona Bruce MP’s initiative in tabling this Urgent Question and securing this important debate, which has highlighted the situation of human rights in China and the plight of Chinese citizens who have had their rights infringed, often for standing up for those of their fellow citizens. We urge the Prime Minister to extend the UK’s support to Chinese citizens working to uphold rule of law in their country, and to raise these issues with President Xi during his visit, affirming that human rights and trade are not mutually exclusive.”