WRITTEN QUESTION E-4062/00

by Patricia McKenna (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(9 January 2001)

Subject: Falun Gong

Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice based on mediation similar to Taichi or Yoga which improves people's physical and mental health. Falun Dafa practitioners in China have been widely persecuted.

Large numbers of Falun Dafa practitioners were arrested on 1 October 2000 on Tiananmen Square as they were protesting peacefully, on China's National Day, against the repression of their movement. Falun Dafa followers have been tortured, imprisoned and killed for merely practising this very peaceful pastime. One 42-year-old woman was beaten to death while in police custody in Shangdong Province in October 1999. She is one of 48 people who have died from beatings and torture because they practice Falun Dafa. Falun Dafa has thousands of followers all over the world.

1. As a supporter of China's entry into the World Trade Organisation, albeit subject to the human rights clause, does not the Commission think that this widespread persecution constitutes a serious obstacle to any further normalisation of relations with the People's Republic of China?

2. Will the Commission specify what measures it has taken, or intends to take, to put an end to this blatant breach of international human rights conventions?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(9 February 2001)

The Commission is committed to strengthening respect for human rights everywhere in the world. They represent a central issue in the European Union's relations with third countries. The Commission is therefore following closely the human rights situation in China.

A bilateral dialogue on human rights was established between the Union and China in 1996 and in this framework the Union has regularly raised and is committed continuing to raise individual cases of concern, including cases involving Falun Gong practitioners. The issue was also raised during the last round of the dialogue on 29 September 2000 in Beijing. The Union attaches importance to this human rights dialogue, which is evaluated on an ongoing basis and focuses on translating political commitment into concrete actions to contribute to the effective and full realisation of the human rights of all persons under Chinese jurisdiction.

Furthermore, the Union has on several occasions undertaken formal démarches to express concern about reports of torture and ill treatment of arrested followers of the Falun Gong movement, and the harshness of sentences given to these members. The Commission has urged China to review harsh sentences imposed on Falun Gong practitioners. In particular, the Commission has requested China to ensure that safeguards of a fair trial, including adequate legal representation, are fully respected with respect to all individuals.

The Commission has repeatedly called on China to rapidly ratify, without reservations, the two United Nations Covenants on Economic, Social and cultural Rights, and on Civil and Political Rights that China signed in 1997 and 1998. These two Covenants, which include provisions on freedom of expression and the right to a fair trial, remain the cornerstone for improving the situation of individual rights in China, and the Commission urges China to comply with the spirit of the Covenants even before ratification.

The Commission believes that China's upcoming accession to the World trade organisation (WTO) will contribute to an acceleration of reform that should also serve to boost the rule of law in China. The WTO seeks to uphold the fundamental principles of transparency, non-discrimination, efficient administration and independent judicial review. New and revised structures firmly founded on these principles should contribute to evolution of China's economic, legal and social systems.