WRITTEN QUESTION E-2067/02 by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission. Case of Rebiya Kadeer from East Turkestan.
Date: 2002-07-12
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: China, EU relations, cruel and degrading treatment, ethnic group, imprisonment, restriction of liberty, rights of minorities, woman, women's rights

C 192 E/46

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

14.8.2003

service in Greece, thus upholding the principle of equality before the law and the rights of European
citizens subject to military service? Will the Commission intervene to secure a review of the current Greek
legislation on military service?

Answer given by Mr Vitorino on behalf of the Commission

(7 August 2002)

The Commission notes that the matters raised by the Honourable Member concerning nationality and
military service are the exclusive responsibility of the Member States.

In addition, it is impossible to establish the existence of a serious and persistent breach within the meaning
of Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union.

Consequently, the Commission takes the view that it is not entitled to take the measures suggested by the
Honourable Member vis-à-vis the Greek authorities.

(2003/C 192 E/044)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2067/02

by Olivier Dupuis (NI) to the Commission

(12 July 2002)

Subject: Case of Rebiya Kadeer from East Turkestan

Rebiya Kadeer, a businesswoman, is one of the most prominent members of the Uighur people in the
occupied region of East Turkestan (Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region). She has made significant
contributions to securing women’s rights in China and founded the ‘Thousand Mothers Movement’ to
promote employment for Uighur women. The Chinese government itself has recognised her contributions
by appointing her to its delegation for the 1995 United Nations World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Two years after the Beijing Conference, however, officials confiscated her passport. Police harassment
followed, placing further restrictions on her movements. The Chinese authorities were attempting to
silence her husband, an outspoken critic of the government living abroad, by intimidating her.

In August 1999, while she had an appointment to discuss Human Rights issues with delegates from the US
Congressional Research Service, Chinese authorities arrested her and took her to a local prison notorious
for torture. In September 1999, the government charged Rebiya Kadeer with ‘providing secret information
to foreigners’, although the ‘secrets’ turned out to be publicly available in local newspapers in her
possession. Following a trial held in secret, a Chinese court sentenced her to eight years’ imprisonment.
Her secretary, arrested shortly after she was taken into custody, received a three-year term of ‘re-education
through labour’ for his association with her. He was reportedly beaten in custody and is now in poor
health.

What information can the Commission provide about the situation of Mrs Kadeer and her secretary? What
kind of initiatives has the Commission undertaken or will
it undertake to obtain from the Chinese
authorities the immediate and unconditional release of these prisoners of conscience, the respect of the
fundamental rights and freedoms of the People of East Turkestan and the opening of negotiations between
the Chinese government and representatives of
including the East Turkestan
(Uyghuristan) National Congress (ETNC), a democratic umbrella organisation which seeks peaceful political
solution to the problem in view of a political and equitable solution of the issue of occupied East
Turkestan?

the Uighur people,

Furthermore can the Commission assure the European Parliament that no programme financed by the EU
in the occupied East Turkestan is used by Beijing to increase or implement the policy of colonisation,
repression, destruction and apartheid imposed against the Uighur people by the Chinese authorities since
their invasion and occupation of Turkestan in 1949?

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 192 E/47

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(2 August 2002)

The EU has raised the case of Rebiya Kader in the context of the human rights dialogue with China and
has been informed about her sentencing and imprisonment. Unfortunately, the Chinese authorities have
not given any information concerning her present situation. The Commission will continue to raise this
case at every opportunity.

The Commission also emphasises the need for China to respect cultural and linguistic rights, religious
freedoms and the protection of minorities throughout China.

The Commission has no co-operation programmes in Xingjiang.

(2003/C 192 E/045)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2070/02

by Bob van den Bos (ELDR)
and Lousewies van der Laan (ELDR) to the Commission

(12 July 2002)

Subject: Treaty of Accession

Paragraph 22 of the Conclusions of the Seville European Council refers to a ‘Treaty of Accession’, while
paragraph 10 of the Conclusions of the Laeken European Council refers to ‘accession treaties’.

1.

Can the Commission confirm that just one Treaty of Accession is being drawn up?

If so, when was the decision taken that just one Treaty of Accession would be drawn up, and on the

2.
basis of what considerations is just one Treaty of Accession being drawn up?

Does the Commission agree that precedent cannot be invoked in this instance because what is at

3.
issue here is the simultaneous accession of up to ten countries?

How does the principle of the individual assessment of the various applicant countries square with

4.
the inclusion of all the applicant countries in just one Treaty of Accession?

5.
Does the Commission share our view that the democratic scrutiny of the accession process is being
adversely affected, since the national parliaments may say simply ‘yea’ or ‘nay’ to the entire Treaty and not
to individual applicant countries? Does the Commission feel that this constitutes a good example of
democratic procedure to be setting the applicant countries?

Does the Commission still intend to give the national parliaments a say in the individual assessment

6.
of the applicant countries? If so, how will it do so?

Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission

(20 August 2002)

The Commission can confirm that a single accession Treaty is being drawn up. The conclusion by Member
States of a single accession Treaty with several candidate countries that accede to the Union at the same
time is a standard procedure. Such a procedure has been used for the accession of Denmark, Ireland and
the United Kingdom which took effect on 1 January 1973, for the accession of Portugal and Spain which
took effect on 1 January 1986, and for the accession of Austria, Finland and Sweden which took effect on
1 January 1995. In each case, one single Accession Treaty was approved.

If several States accede at the same time,
it would indeed not suffice to establish the required legal
relationship between any single future Member State on the one hand and the current Member States on
the other hand, since it is also necessary to create the required legal links between the acceding States
themselves. Moreover, there are a great number of common provisions, annexes and protocols which it
would otherwise be necessary to repeat as many times as there are new Member States acceding.