IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. RES. 56

Urging the appropriate representative of the United States to the United

Nations Commission on Human Rights to introduce at the annual meeting of the Commission a resolution calling upon the People’s Republic

of China to end its human rights violations in China and Tibet, and

for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 26, 2001

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. WOLF, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey,

Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. FRANK, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. MCGOVERN,

and Ms. RIVERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Urging the appropriate representative of the United States

to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

to introduce at the annual meeting of the Commission

a resolution calling upon the People’s Republic of China

to end its human rights violations in China and Tibet,

and for other purposes.

Whereas the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland, provides

a forum for discussing human rights and expressing

international support for improved human rights performance;
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Whereas, according to the Department of State and international human rights organizations, the Government of

the People’s Republic of China continues to commit widespread and well-documented human rights abuses in

China and Tibet;

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has yet to demonstrate its willingness to abide by internationally accepted norms of freedom of belief, expression, and association

by repealing or amending laws and decrees that restrict

those freedoms;

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China

continues to ban and criminalize groups it labels as cults

or heretical organizations;

Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China

has repressed unregistered religious congregations and

spiritual movements, including Falun Gong, and persists

in persecuting persons on the basis of unauthorized religious activities using such measures as harassment, prolonged detention, physical abuse, incarceration, and closure or destruction of places of worship;

Whereas authorities in the People’s Republic of China have

continued their efforts to extinguish expressions of protest or criticism, have detained scores of citizens associated with attempts to organize a peaceful opposition, to

expose corruption, to preserve their ethnic minority identity, or to use the Internet for the free exchange of ideas,

and have sentenced many citizens so detained to harsh

prison terms;

Whereas Chinese authorities continue to exert control over religious and cultural institutions in Tibet, abusing human

rights through instances of torture, arbitrary arrest, and
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detention of Tibetans without public trial for peacefully

expressing their political or religious views;

Whereas bilateral human rights dialogues between several nations and the People’s Republic of China have yet to

produce substantial adherence to international norms;

and

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, but has

yet to take the steps necessary to make the treaty legally

binding: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that—

3 (1) at the 57th Session of the United Nations

4 Human Rights Commission in Geneva, Switzerland,

5 the appropriate representative of the United States

6 should solicit cosponsorship for a resolution calling

7 upon the Government of the People’s Republic of

8 China to end its human rights abuses in China and

9 Tibet, in compliance with its international organiza10 tions; and

11 (2) the United States Government should take

12 the lead in organizing multilateral support to obtain

13 passage by the Commission of such resolution.

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