IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 68

Condemning the Government of the People’s Republic of China for its poor

human rights record.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 20, 2001

Mr. KING (for himself, Mr. BURR of North Carolina, Mr. WOLF, Mr.

LATOURETTE, Mr. EHRLICH, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. TRAFICANT, Mr.

DIAZ-BALART, Ms. RIVERS, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. TAYLOR of North Carolina, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr.

MCGOVERN, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. SANDERS, and Mr. TOWNS) submitted

the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Condemning the Government of the People’s Republic of

China for its poor human rights record.

Whereas on February 26, 2001, the Department of State

issued the 2000 Country Report on Human Rights Practices in China which noted that the Government of the

People’s Republic of China continued to commit widespread and well-documented human rights abuses in violation of internationally accepted norms, continued to

commit numerous other serious abuses, and intensified

crackdowns on religion;

Whereas the 2000 Report noted that, in Tibet, the Government of the People’s Republic of China intensified its
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harsh treatment of political dissent, including the suppression of persons or groups perceived to threaten the

Government;

Whereas the 2000 Report noted that thousands of unregistered religious institutions had been either closed or destroyed, hundreds of Falun Gong leaders had been imprisoned, and thousands of Falun Gong practitioners remained in detention or were sentenced to reeducation

through labor camps or incarcerated in mental institutions;

Whereas the 2000 Report noted that respect by the People’s

Republic of China for religious freedom deteriorated as

the Government conducted crackdowns against underground Christian groups and Tibetan Buddhists and destroyed many houses of worship;

Whereas some minority groups, particularly Tibetan Buddhists and Muslim Uighurs, came under increasing pressure as the Government limited dissent and separatist activities;

Whereas unapproved religious groups, including Protestant

and Catholic groups and members of nontraditional religious groups, continued to experience varying degrees of

official interference, repression, and persecution;

Whereas the People’s Republic of China does not permit independent domestic nongovernmental organizations to monitor publicly human rights conditions;

Whereas on March 12, 1998, the People’s Republic of China

signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political

Rights and signed on October 27, 1997, and ratified on

February 28, 2001, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; and
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Whereas the 2000 Report notes that Constitution and laws

of the People’s Republic of China provide for fundamental human rights, however, the protections of these

rights are ignored in practice: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That—

3 (1) it is the sense of Congress that—

4 (A) the Government of the People’s Repub5 lic of China should take the necessary measures

6 to stop persecution of all religious practitioners

7 and safeguard fundamental human rights; and

8 (B) the United States Government should

9 continue to insist that the People’s Republic of

10 China adhere to fundamental human rights;

11 and

12 (2) the Congress urges the Government of the

13 People’s Republic of China—

14 (A) to release from detention all religious

15 practitioners, Falun Gong members, and pris16 oners of conscience and to put an immediate

17 end to the practices of torture and other cruel,

18 inhuman, and degrading treatment;

19 (B) to allow the Chinese people to pursue

20 their personal beliefs in accordance with article

21 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic

22 of China and its criminal procedure law; and
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1 (C) adhere to the provisions and guidelines

2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Po3 litical Rights and the International Covenant on

4 Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.

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