WRITTEN QUESTION E-3578/02

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(13 December 2002)

Subject: Persecution of members of the unofficial Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China

For many decades, members of the so-called unofficial Catholic Church in the People's Republic of China have been subjected to a policy of intolerance, abuse, harassment and repression at the hands of the Chinese authorities. The members of the Church refuse to join the Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics. According to information published by the Fides Agency, this policy led to 129 deaths, around 24 000 arbitrary arrests and more than 20 000 cases of maltreatment and physical abuse between 1983 and April 2002. Protestants who refuse to join the Patriotic Association suffer the same fate.

More recently, numerous cases of persecution of the representatives and leaders of the unofficial Catholic Church have been reported.

In the province of Hebei, near Beijing, which is home to one million members of the unofficial Catholic Church, and in particular in the diocese of Baoding, public security forces (police and local authorities) have in recent years arrested the following priests:

- Yibao Guo (detained in Xushui prison since April 2000);

- Genyou Lu (arrested at the beginning of this year, sentenced to 3 years' hard labour and detained in Gaoyang prison);

- Zhenhe Wang (arrested on 14 April 1999, detained in Xushui prison);

- Zhengjun Yin (arrested on 27 January 2001, sentenced to 3 years of re-education through labour and detained in Baoding prison);

- Chunguang Zhang (arrested at the beginning of 2001, detained in Xushui prison);

- Jianbo Li (arrested on 19 April 2001 in Xilinhaute in Southern Mongolia, known as Inner Mongolia);

- Yongxing Pang, Shunbao Ma and Limao Wang (arrested on 7 July 2002 and sentenced to 3 years' hard labour for having disrupted social harmony, detained at the Balizhuang labour camp in Baoding).

Moreover, the two bishops of the diocese, Zhimin Su, aged 70, and his assistant Shuxin An, aged 52, have not been seen since they were last arrested, in 1997 and 1996 respectively. Zhimin Su has already been deprived of his liberty for over 30 years (in prison, in labour camps, and under house arrest). In the province of Hebei alone, 9 bishops have either disappeared, been placed under strict surveillance, or banned from carrying out pastoral duties.

Finally, six Catholic laymen from Wenzhou in the province of Zhejiang were arrested in the province of Hebei as they were on their way to Donglü, a popular place of pilgrimage in the diocese of Baoding. They were accused of making an illegal pilgrimage and were only released after paying a USD 3 850. A dozen other pilgrims who were unable to pay the fine are still being held in Donglü prison.

What information does the Commission have on each of these cases? What steps has the Commission taken or will it take to induce the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all these followers of the unofficial Catholic Church and to suppress all the criminal and administrative laws that shackle religious freedom in the People's Republic of China?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(20 January 2003)

The Commission has taken note of the arrest of the catholic priests Yibao Guo, Genyou Lu, Zhenhe Wang, Zhengjun Yin, Chunguang Zhang, Jianbo Li and Yongxing Pang, Shunbao Ma and Limao Wang and of the disappearance of Zhimin Su and his assistant Shuxin An over recent months.

The Commission considers that freedom of religion and belief to be a fundamental human right, and raises this issue regularly in the framework of the Union's dialogue on human rights with China, as was the case during the last human rights dialogue in Beijing on 13/14 November 2002. The Commission takes these issues very seriously and has taken all appropriate steps at this stage.

Regarding the situation of the non-official Catholic Church in China, the Commission shares the Honourable Member's concern. While the National Working Meeting on Religion, held in December 2001, appeared to signal a greater openness towards mainstream religions operating in China, recent information indicates that restrictions on Catholic underground churches have not been relaxed.

The Commission will continue to closely monitor the Chinese government's respect for freedom of religion and belief, and will continue to express concern about violations of this fundamental right, including the on-going crackdown on persons exercising their religious beliefs.