Excerpt: Religious Freedom Commission's Report on China
(2001 report says conditions "have sharply deteriorated")The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's 2001 annual report declares the Commission's earlier "concern" about the United States granting China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status without any human rights preconditions "has been validated by the deteriorating religious-freedom situation in China over the last year."
While an excerpt on China from the Commission's report praises Congress for establishing a commission in 2000 to monitor human rights in China, it states that "there has been a marked deterioration of the protection of religious freedom in China since the Commission's last report and since Congress approved PNTR."
Among the Commission's details of the Chinese government's intensified crackdown on unregistered religious communities and tightened control of official religious organizations were: an intensified campaign against the Falun Gong movement and its followers extended to Hong Kong; the destruction or government confiscation of as many as 3,000 churches, temples, and shrines (Christian, Buddhist, and Daoist) in southeastern China; increased government control over the official Protestant and Catholic churches; the extension of restrictions on Tibetan Buddhists religious practices to apply to ordinary citizens in private homes; "oppressive, often brutal measures" targeting Uighur Muslims; a rise in the reported number of cases of torture by government officials; and instances of foreigners being detained and/or sentenced for religious activities in China.
"The Commission urges the U.S. government to work vigorously to promote religious freedom in China by making its concern known to the Chinese government and by working to secure substantial improvements," the report says.
The report adds that the Commission recommends that the U.S. government "persistently urge" the Chinese government to take steps to protect religious freedom, including the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In addition, the report recommends that: -- The U.S. government should use its diplomatic influence with other governments to ensure that China is not selected as a site for the International Olympic Games until it has made significant and sustained improvements in religious freedom and human rights;
-- Companies that are doing business in China should be required to disclose the nature and extent of that business in connection with their access to U.S. capital markets because "across-the-board full disclosure of these details would prompt corporate managers to work to prevent their companies from supporting or facilitating" human rights violations, as well as aid U.S. investors in deciding whether to purchase the securities; shareholders in exercising their ownership rights; and U.S. policymakers in formulating sound policy with respect to China and U.S. capital markets;
-- The President of the United States should personally lead the U.S. government in the initiation of resolutions to censure China at the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights and should support a sustained campaign to convince other governments at the highest levels to support these resolutions until the situation improves in China;
-- Legislators should invite the Dalai Lama to address a Joint Session of Congress;
-- The U.S. government should raise the profile of conditions of Uighur Muslims by addressing religious-freedom and human rights concerns in bilateral talks, by increasing the number of educational opportunities available to Uighurs, and by increasing radio broadcasts in the Uighur language;
-- U.S. diplomats should "consistently and prominently" raise religious-freedom abuses with Chinese officials and "advocate substantial improvements at the highest levels and at every available opportunity";
-- The United States should urge other governments to raise the issue of religious freedom in their bilateral contacts with the Chinese government;
-- The State Department should continue to report in detail on the conditions of religious freedom in China as well as identify specific individuals and entities involved in violations of religious freedom in that country;
-- The U.S. government should continue to work vigorously for the resumption of a high-level unconditional human rights dialogue with the Chinese government when the Chinese government demonstrates its commitment to protecting religious freedom.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is a federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to monitor religious freedom in other countries and advise the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress on how best to promote it.
For the report on China, the Commissioners and staff interviewed human rights and religious non-governmental organizations (NGO's) with expertise on China, individual experts, and U.S. government officials. The Commission's repeated requests for permission from the Chinese government to visit the country have been ignored and/or the Chinese embassy in the United States has responded that such a visit would be "highly inappropriate."
The full text of the USCIRF's report can be found at: http://www.uscirf.gov/reports/01May01Report_Index.php3
Following is an excerpt on China from the commission's report:
(begin excerpt)
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
A. Introduction
In the last year, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC or China) has expanded its crackdown on unregistered religious communities and tightened its control on official religious organizations. The government has intensified its campaign against the Falun Gong movement and its followers. It apparently has also been involved in the confiscation and destruction of up to 3,000 unregistered religious buildings and sites in southeastern China. Government control over the official Protestant and Catholic churches has increased. It continues to interfere in the training and selection of religious leaders and clergy. At the same time, the government continues to maintain tight control over Uighur Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Finally, cases of torture by government officials reportedly are on the rise.
In its May 2000 Annual Report, the Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Congress approve Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status for China only after the Chinese government had made substantial improvements in the protection of religious freedom. Congress did approve PNTR, and the Commission was concerned that by doing so - without substantial action with regard to religious freedom and at a time when conditions of religious freedom have sharply deteriorated - the Chinese government could be led to believe that the United States does not attach significant importance to the right to freedom of religion. The Commission's concern has been validated by the deteriorating religious-freedom situation in China over the last year. Thus, the Commission urges the U.S. government to work vigorously to promote religious freedom in China by making its concern known to the Chinese government and by working to secure substantial improvements.
Since the publication of its May 2000 Annual Report, the Commission and its staff have continued to monitor the condition of religious freedom in China. The Commissioners and the Commission staff have interviewed human rights and religious non-governmental organizations (NGO's) with expertise on China, individual experts, and U.S. government officials. In February 2000, the Commission requested permission from the Chinese government to visit that country. However, the Chinese government never responded to this initial request. The Commission renewed its request in recent months, to which the Chinese embassy in the United States responded that such a visit would be "highly inappropriate".
B. Religious Freedom
1. Legal/Policy Developments
In the last year, the government has promulgated additional rules that restrict religious activities. It was disclosed that in September 2000, the Religious Affairs Bureau issued rules governing the religious activities of foreigners within China, which codified existing regulations that restrict the religious activities of foreigners and their contacts with Chinese citizens.1 The rules provide that foreigners are allowed to "preach and expound the scripture" only at the invitation of official Chinese religious organizations, and only at registered religious sites. Foreigners are not allowed to distribute religious literature, develop followers among Chinese citizens, or engage in "other missionary activities".
Also in the last year, the Chinese government apparently has established official mechanisms to coordinate its national campaign against "cults," focusing specifically on the Falun Gong movement and its followers.2 The government and official media have disclosed that an "Office for Preventing and Handling Cults" was established in September 2000 under the State Council.3 Moreover, the government reportedly has created a Politburo-level permanent office in the Communist Party of China (CPC) that is responsible for the coordination of government efforts to crack down against the Falun Gong movement.4 According to the report, Vice Premier Li Lanqing, a member of the CPC Politburo Standing Committee, would head the new office. Finally, as an indication of the central government's resolve to crack down on the Falun Gong movement, in March 2001, Premier Zhu Rongji, in his report to the National People's Congress, stated:
We need to continue our campaign against the Falun Gong cult, and further expose and condemn the anti-human, anti-social and anti-science nature of the cult, which has become a tool for domestic and overseas forces hostile to our socialist government. We need to mete out severe punishment to the small number of criminals while making unremitting efforts to unite, educate and rescue the vast majority of people who have been taken in.5
2. Unregistered Religious Organizations
The Chinese government has intensified its campaign to crack down on unregistered religious communities and those that it has identified as "cults," including the Falun Gong and some Protestant house-church movements. The government reportedly has detained and tortured religious prisoners, raided homes and independent churches, and closed, confiscated, or destroyed unregistered religious properties.
Since the second half of 1999, thousands of Falun Gong practitioners reportedly have been arrested and remain in some form of detention.6 According to the Falun Gong organization, since the second half of 1999, 162 followers have died as a result of torture and mistreatment by officials while in custody.7 The State Department and Amnesty International reported that police officials have tortured Falun Gong members who were detained or imprisoned. The official Chinese press has confirmed that nearly 200 Falun Gong practitioners have received sentences of up to 10 years for using the movement to "create social chaos" or to "obstruct the law."8 On October 1, 2000 (which was China's National Day), security forces reportedly beat and detained hundreds of Falun Gong practitioners (perhaps up to 1,000) for holding peaceful demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, protesting government policy against the group and official treatment of its followers.9 Hundreds of other followers reportedly have been confined to mental hospitals. More recently, as a part of the government's intensified campaign against the Falun Gong, police and security forces reportedly raided the homes of more than 1,000 grassroots leaders of the movement in an effort to obtain evidence that these individuals have been conducting "cult-like practice," engaging in economic crimes, or causing bodily harm to other Falun Gong followers.10 Another Qigong group, the Zhong Gong (which was banned by the government in 1999), reports that more than 30 of its leaders continue to be imprisoned by the Chinese authorities.11
The official crackdown on the Falun Gong has been extended to Hong Kong residents and foreign citizens. In September 2000, a Hong Kong-resident Falun Gong practitioner, along with a Chinese mainlander, reportedly were arrested nine days after they filed a legal complaint in Beijing against Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other high-ranking government officials for their part in the official crackdown.12 In November, a U.S.-resident Falun Gong practitioner reportedly was arrested on charges of providing national security information to foreigners. In December, she was sentenced to three years in prison.13 Also in November, a Canadian citizen was sentenced to three years of re-education through labor for practicing Falun Gong.14 He was reportedly tortured by police officials while in custody and was released in January 2001.
Members of unregistered Protestant house churches have been detained, tortured, and subjected to other forms of government harassment. In some areas of China, properties belonging to or used by such unregistered groups have been confiscated, closed, or destroyed. The government crackdown on "cults" has placed increased pressure on unregistered Christian churches.15 It has been reported that in some parts of China, unregistered churches are routinely classified as "cults," and the Chinese central government reportedly has designated 14 unregistered Protestant movements as "cults."1 The unregistered churches also face difficulties when attempting to register with the government, and in some cases, local officials have refused to register them.17 Furthermore, unregistered churches continue to face obstacles in obtaining Bibles and other Christian literature, and are not allowed to operate independent training institutions.
In August 2000, local public security officials arrested 130 followers of the China Fangcheng Church in Henan Province because the church was officially labeled as an "evil cult," and the government charged that its members were engaging in an illegal assembly that, according to the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, was "seriously violating the normal life of the local people here."18 Among them were three U.S. citizens who were born in Taiwan, who reportedly were subjected to strip searches while in detention. They were eventually expelled from the country. Eighty-five of the 130 arrested reportedly were sent to re-education labor camps; they have since been released.19 In October 2000, a 21-year-old itinerant missionary of the China Evangelical Fellowship reportedly died of torture and mistreatment while under detention in Henan Province.20 It was reported that he was arrested in September while worshipping in an underground house church. Hundreds of Protestants reportedly remain in labor camps and prisons. Many of these individuals allegedly have been subjected to torture and other extreme forms of punishment.21 Furthermore, government officials reportedly have imposed severe fines on unregistered Protestant organizations and their followers on account of their belief.22
The relationship between the unofficial, Vatican-affiliated Roman Catholic Church and the Chinese government has deteriorated in the last year. The State Department reports that an August 1999 CPC document called on the authorities to eliminate the underground Catholic Church.23 A number of Catholic bishops and priests reportedly remain in prison or in detention while the status of other priests and lay members remain unknown.24 On October 1, 2000, the anniversary for the founding of the PRC, the Vatican canonized 120 saints with ties to China. Eighty-seven of the new Chinese saints were killed during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900.25 In response, the Chinese government accused several of the newly canonized saints of committing crimes of rape and extortion against the Chinese people.26
Finally, in November-December 2000, local government officials destroyed, closed, or confiscated approximately 400 unregistered Protestant and Catholic church buildings in the Wenzhou area (located in the southeastern province of Zhejiang) as a part of the most destructive campaign to crack down on unregistered religious buildings and sites since the late 1970's.27 There are reports that overall as many as 3,000 churches, temples, and shrines (Christian, Buddhist, and Daoist) in the area have been demolished, blown up, or confiscated for government use. China's state-run media have confirmed these reports.
3. Tibet
Chinese authorities maintain tight control over religious activity and places of worship in Tibet and reportedly have increased some restrictions in the last year. The government remains suspicious of Tibetan Buddhism because of its link with the Dalai Lama. The Tibet Information Network reports that monks and nuns comprised 74 percent of the 266 Tibetan political prisoners it had identified as of January 2001.28 There have been reports of torture and other extreme forms of punishment meted out to imprisoned Buddhist monks and nuns.29 According to the State Department, Tibetan monks and nuns are required to undergo "patriotic education," and monks are forced to renounce the Dalai Lama and the Dalai Lama-recognized Panchen Lama.30 "Monks and nuns failing to accept these precepts can face formal expulsion from monasteries and nunneries, prohibition from any further religious activity, and restricted rights to education, employment and travel."31 Restrictions on religious practice have been extended to ordinary citizens in private homes: homes were searched for shrines, Tibetan religious paintings, and Dalai Lama pictures; school children were told not to visit monasteries and temples to pray or to attend religious ceremonies on threat of expulsion.32 Tibetan Buddhists reportedly are not permitted to observe the Dalai Lama's birthday and in the summer of 2000 strict measures were taken by the government to prevent public participation in other religious festivals.33 Government employees and party officials in Tibet have been prohibited from participating in religious activities (including having altars and religious materials in their homes) and have been ordered to withdraw their children from monasteries, nunneries, and Tibetan schools in India.34
4. Uighur Muslims35
Government restrictions on the religious activities of Uighurs continue to be tight. Islamic institutions and prominent individuals in the Muslim community have become the target of oppressive, often brutal measures. Chinese authorities apparently have been unwilling or unable to differentiate between religious exercise or ethnic identity and "separatist" aspirations. As a result, government officials reportedly continue to restrict religious activities, including the building of mosques, in areas where ethnic unrest has occurred.36 The government controls the appointment of imams. According to one account, imams are required to undergo political indoctrination and their sermons are censored by government officials.37 Uighurs reportedly are also prohibited from congregating in large numbers, including gathering family members to observe traditional religious holidays.38 Government employees, teachers, and students must abide by government restrictions. For example, it has been reported that students, teachers, and government officials are not allowed to observe the daily act of praying five times.39 Mosques apparently are required to record the names of the individuals attending each day's religious activities.40 Students that are found to have attended mosques more than three times reportedly can be permanently expelled from school.41 Children who are found to have been taught Islam reportedly could also be expelled from school.42 Uighur Muslims appear to be the only Chinese citizens who are subject to capital punishment for political crimes. In 2000, according to Human Rights Watch, at least 24 Uighur Muslims were executed.43 Finally, prison officials reportedly have tortured Uighur prisoners. In October 2000, one Uighur prisoner reportedly died as a result of torture and other mistreatment.44
5. Registered Religious Communities
Over the past year, the government reportedly has also tightened its control over official religious organizations, especially the official Protestant and Catholic churches. The Chinese government, through state-sanctioned religious bodies, has increased its control over religious doctrine, seminary curricula, and the training and selection of leaders and clergy. Bishop Ding Guangxun, the concurrent honorary president of the official Three Self Patriotic Movement (TSPM) for the Protestant churches in China and the Christian Council of China, reportedly has introduced a "new theology" that seeks to de-emphasize the differences between believers and non-believers and to ensure that doctrines of the official Chinese Protestant Churches are compatible with socialist ideology.45 One important feature of this theology is the denial of the fundamental Christian doctrine of salvation by faith.46 This new theological construct was introduced into seminary curricula, which resulted in the departure (both voluntary and involuntary) of many faculty members and students.47
In addition to the government's attempt to exert control over theology, the TSPM churches face other government restrictions. According to reports, they are not permitted to teach fundamental Christian doctrines such as creation and resurrection. They are not allowed to minister to those under the age of 18, and church members cannot preach outside their own village and province. Moreover, pastors that do not follow official guidelines may be relocated, removed from current positions, and stripped of salaries and accommodations.48
The official Catholic Church apparently also faces increased government restrictions. The same August 1999 party document that called for the elimination of underground Catholic churches also called for the tightening of government control over the official church. According to the State Department, many clerics and members of the official church refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of bishops who were appointed by the government, but not approved by the Vatican.49
C. Commission Recommendations
In its May 2000 Annual Report the Commission recommend that the U.S. Congress should grant China Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) status only after the Chinese government had made substantial improvements in respect to religious freedom, as measured by a number of specific standards.50 Congress, of course, did approve PNTR status for China without any such religious-freedom preconditions. As detailed above, there has been a marked deterioration of the protection of religious freedom in China since the Commission's last report and since Congress approved PNTR. China has not ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Chinese government has not provided information or permitted unhindered access to religious leaders who are in prison, in detention, under house arrest, or under surveillance. Nor, to the Commission's knowledge, has it released any such prisoners. As noted above, the Chinese government has refused to grant permission for the Commission to visit the country, rejecting the proposed visit as "highly inappropriate." The U.S.-China bilateral human rights dialogue has not resumed, apparently because of U.S. concerns regarding the commitment of the Chinese government to substantive discussions and follow-up actions.
Even with the PNTR issue settled, the Commission believes that Congress should pay careful attention to the conditions of religious freedom in China and to the persistent failure of the Chinese government to protect religious freedom. In granting PNTR, Congress did establish a commission to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China.51 The Commission welcomes the establishment of this body and looks forward to working with it on human rights matters of mutual interest and responsibility once it begins to function. The Commission recommended last year that Congress invite the Dalai Lama to address a Joint Session of Congress and continues to urge the Congress to do so.52
The Commission recommended last year that President Clinton personally lead efforts to pass a resolution censuring the Chinese government for its human rights violations at the annual session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR).53 Although then-Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright attended the UNCHR session in Geneva and advocated such a resolution, U.S. efforts were defeated. In February 2001, the Commission wrote Secretary of State Colin L. Powell urging him to initiate a China resolution at this year's UNCHR session and to mount a sustained campaign at the highest levels to convince other governments to support it. On February 26, the State Department announced that it would sponsor a resolution; however, as of the date this report went to press, the United States has not formally introduced one.
At the same time that China's protection of religious freedom continues to deteriorate, the Chinese government sought to raise capital from U.S. investors. In September and October 2000, the press reported that the government of China was considering offering sovereign bonds in a total amount of $1 billion in the near future, at least in part to U.S. investors. In November, the Commission wrote to President Clinton that, in its view, the President has the authority under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA) to prohibit the purchase of China sovereign bonds by U.S. financial institutions.<54 It asked the President if he agreed with the Commission's conclusion and, if so, whether he intended to use his authority to prevent the China sovereign bond issue until the Chinese government made substantial improvements in respect for religious freedom and provided sufficient assurances to guarantee that the proceeds were never used to support religious persecution. The President's response did not address the question of his authority under IRFA, but he said that he did not favor prohibiting the sale. Also, in November, plans to offer China sovereign bonds were reportedly shelved. In March 2001, the Commission wrote to President Bush with the same inquiry that it had made to President Clinton. If and when China sovereign bonds are offered to U.S. investors, the Commission will examine the circumstances and consider whether to recommend that the President exercise his authority to prevent such a sale.
In light of this background, the Commission makes the following recommendations:
1. In its bilateral relations with China, the U.S. government should persistently urge the Chinese government to take the following steps to protect religious freedom:
1.1. Establish the freedom to engage in religious activities (including the freedom for religious groups to govern themselves and select their leaders without interference, worship publicly, express and advocate religious beliefs, and distribute religious literature) outside state-controlled religious organizations and eliminate controls on the activities of officially registered organizations.
1.2. Permit unhindered access to religious persons (including those imprisoned, detained, or under house arrest and surveillance) by U.S. diplomatic personnel and government officials, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and respected international human rights organizations. Release persons from imprisonment, detention, house arrest, or intimidating surveillance who are so restricted on account of their religious identities or activities.
1.3. Permit domestic Chinese religious organizations and individuals to interact with foreign organizations and individuals.
1.4. Cease discrimination against religious followers in access to government benefits, including education, employment, and health care.
1.5. Ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
In the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, Congress stated that it was the policy of the United States to encourage the Chinese government to protect the human rights of its people and to seek the support of other governments in urging Chinese improvements in human rights practices.55 As one of the rights most abridged and abused by the Chinese government, religious freedom must be a key element of U.S. initiatives to promote human rights in China. American diplomats should consistently and prominently raise religious-freedom abuses with Chinese officials and advocate substantial improvements (as measured by the above standards) at the highest levels and at every available opportunity. In addition, the U.S. should urge other governments to raise the issue of religious freedom in their bilateral contacts with the Chinese government. In an effort to keep religious freedom high on the agenda of U.S.-China relations, the State Department should continue to report in detail on the conditions of religious freedom in China.
2. The U.S. government should continue to work vigorously for the resumption of a high-level unconditional human rights dialogue with the PRC government when the Chinese government demonstrates its commitment to protecting religious freedom, for example, by addressing the items listed as 1.1 to 1.5 above.
In November 2000, PRC President Jiang Zemin reportedly verbally committed to resume the annual human rights dialogue with the United States that had been suspended since May 1999. The dialogue has not resumed, apparently because of U.S. concerns regarding the commitment of the Chinese government to substantive discussions and follow-up actions. The Commission believes that the dialogue should be resumed when the Chinese government has demonstrated its commitment to protecting religious freedom. Once resumed, religious-freedom issues should be prominent and the U.S. government should persistently advocate substantial action in the areas itemized as 1.1 through 1.5, above.
3. Until religious freedom significantly improves in China, the U.S. government, led by the personal efforts of the President of the United States, should initiate a resolution to censure China at the annual meeting of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) and should support a sustained campaign to convince other governments at the highest levels to support it.
The Commission welcomes the U.S. government's decision to introduce a resolution regarding China's human rights practices at the UNCHR during its 2001 session in Geneva. The Commission would like to restate the importance of an early decision by the U.S. government each year on whether a resolution condemning China's human rights practices is warranted. Such U.S. resolutions will likely continue to fail in Geneva unless the President makes their adoption a high priority of the administration. The Commission urges the President to personally solicit support for the resolution from the leaders of UNCHR member countries. The success or failure of this referendum on China's standing in the international community is likely to depend on whether the President makes liberal use of the "bully pulpit" and effective diplomacy at every opportunity.
4. Companies that are doing business in China should be required to disclose the nature and extent of that business in connection with their access to U.S. capital markets.
There is a significant, undesirable gap in U.S. law regarding China and other "countries of particular concern" under IRFA (i.e. egregious religious-freedom violators): In some cases, companies that are doing business in China can sell securities on U.S. markets without having to disclose fully (1) the details of the particular business activities in China, including plans for expansion or diversification; (2) the identity of all agencies of the Chinese government with which the companies are doing business; (3) the relationship of the business activities to violations of religious freedom and other human rights in China; or (4) the contribution that the proceeds raised in the U.S. debt and equity markets will make to these business activities and hence, potentially to those violations.56 Across-the-board full disclosure of these details would prompt corporate managers to work to prevent their companies from supporting or facilitating these violations. It also would aid (1) U.S. investors in deciding whether to purchase the securities; (2) shareholders in exercising their ownership rights (including proposing shareholder resolutions for annual meetings and proxy statements); and (3) U.S. policymakers in formulating sound policy with respect to China and U.S. capital markets. The Commission recommends that the United States require such disclosure. As discussed in the Commission's recommendations with regard to U.S. capital markets disclosure, this requirement would also apply to those Chinese companies that are doing business in Sudan and issuing or listing securities in the United States.
5. The U.S. government should raise the profile of conditions of Uighur Muslims by addressing religious-freedom and human rights concerns in bilateral talks, by increasing the number of educational opportunities available to Uighurs, and by increasing radio broadcasts in the Uighur language.
The deteriorating condition of Uighur Muslims over the last year makes it especially important for the U.S. government to document the abuses against Uighurs and raise these abuses with the Chinese government. Moreover, the Commission recommended last year that the U.S. government increase the number of educational and cultural exchange opportunities available to Uighurs. It also recommended that there be increased radio broadcasts in the Uighur language.
The Commission understands that the ability to document the condition of Uighurs is limited. However, it is because information on the condition of Uighurs is limited that the U.S. government should expand its efforts to address their religious-freedom problems, including through increases in educational and cultural opportunities and radio broadcasts. The U.S. government apparently has not increased its support for these activities since May 2000.
6. The U.S. government should use its diplomatic influence with other governments to ensure that China is not selected as a site for the International Olympic Games until it has made significant and sustained improvements in religious freedom and human rights.
7. The State Department should identify specific individuals and entities involved in violations of religious freedom in China.
In a letter to Congress in 1999, in connection with the State Department's designation of China as a "country of particular concern" under IRFA, the Department stated that it would "identify specific individuals and entities" involved in violations of religious freedom in China as that information becomes available.57 The Commission believes that the State Department should include that information in its human rights reports to Congress.58
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA - FOOTNOTES
1 Xinhua News Agency, "Full Text on Rules of Religious Activities of Aliens Within China," September 26, 2000 (in Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS).
2 In July 1999, the CPC Central Committee issued a circular banning Falun Gong practices among party members. In October, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) adopted a resolution to ban all "heretic cult organizations." Earlier in the same month, the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate issued judicial explanations (titled "Several Issues Concerning the Concrete Application of Laws in Handling Criminal Cases of Organizing and Making Use of Cult Organizations") on laws regarding crimes committed by "cults." Article 1 of the explanations vaguely define "cult" organizations (which are mentioned in Article 300 of the PRC Criminal Law) as "illegal organizations that are set up using religions, Qigong or other things as a camouflage, deify their leading members, and confuse, poison and deceive people, recruit and control their members, and endanger the society by fabricating and spreading superstitious heresies." Xinhua News Agency, "Judicial Explanations Text on Cult Crimes," October 30, 1999 (in FBIS); Xinhua News Agency, "Judicial Explanations on Crimes by Cults," October 30, 1999 (in FBIS); Xinhua News Agency, "CPC Circular Banning Falun Gong Practices," July 22, 1999 (in FBIS).
3 Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America, "China Bans Falun Gong to Protect Human Rights," (http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/8819.htm accessed March 2, 2001); People's Daily, "Chinese Official on Handling of Falun Gong Cult," February 28, 2001 (http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200102/27/eng20010227_63592.html, accessed March 23, 2001).
4 Ming Pao, "Li Lanqing Heads CPC's New Office in Charge of Cracking Down on Falungong," February 12, 2001 (in FBIS).
5 Xinhua News Agency, "Text of Zhu Rongji's Report on Outline of 10th Five-year Plan," March 16, 2001 (in FBIS).
6 U.S. Department of State, 2000 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, "China," February 2001 (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/eap/index.cfm?docid=684, accessed February 26, 2001); Human Rights Watch, "China and Tibet," World Report 2001, December 2000, 184.
7 Falun Dafa Info Center, "Death Toll in China," (http://www.faluninfo.net, accessed March 6, 2001). Also see Amnesty International, Torture - A Growing Scourge in China - Time for Action, February 12, 2001 (http://web.amnesty.org/ai.nsf/print/ASA170042001?OpenDocument, accessed February 26, 2001).
8 Xinhua News Agency, "China Convicts 151 Falun Gong-related Criminals," August 23, 2000 (in FBIS); Paul Eckert, "China jails 37 who spread Falun Gong Fliers," Reuters, March 2, 2001.
9 Philip P. Pan, "Falun Gong Protesters Stun Beijing; Hundreds Disrupt Celebration Despite Heightened Security," Washington Post, October 2, 2000; Jeremy Page, "Falun Gong Protests Marr China's National Day," Reuters, October 1, 2000 (http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=894, accessed March 22, 2001).
10 Willy Wo-Lap Lam, "Raids as China tracks Falun Gong worldwide," CNN.com, February 10, 2001 (http://www.cnn.com, accessed March 6, 2001).
11 Interview with Zhong Gong representative by USCIRF staff, March 28, 2001.
12 South China Morning Post, "Hong Kong Man Arrested in Falungong Bid to Sue Jiang Zemin," October 10, 2000 (in FBIS).
13 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); Falun Dafa Info Center, "Ms. Teng Chun Yan - Jailed for Exposing the Crimes of Others," (http://www.faluninfo.net/appeals/dr_teng.asp, accessed March 7, 2001).
14 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); David Ljunggren, "Released Canadian Falun Gong Follower Reports Torture in China," Reuters, January 21, 2001 (http://www.faluninfo.net/displayAnArticle.asp?ID=2764, accessed March 22, 2001).
15 Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Protestant Christianity and Religious Freedom in China: Report from Fact Finding Mission, December 2000 (http://www.csw.org.uk/china_december_2000.html, accessed April 4, 2001).
16 Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, "130 Followers of China Fangcheng Church Arrested in Henan Province," August 24, 2000 (Foreign Broadcast Information Service, accessed March 2, 2001). According to this report, the 14 Protestant movements designated as cults are the China Evangelistic Fellowship, the China Fangcheng Church, the Total Scope Church, the Shouters Sect, the Disciples Sect, the Three Shifts of Servants Sect, the Established King Sect, the Eastern Lightening Sect, the Supreme Spirit Sect, the Lingling Sect, the New Testament Church, the Absolute Sect, the Cold Water sect, and the Blood Water and Sacred Spirit Bless Preaching Group.
17 Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Protestant Christianity and Religious Freedom in China; Forum 18, Freedom of Religion: A report with special emphasis on the right to choose religion and registration systems, 28-29.
18 Agence France Presse, "Embassy Says U.S. Citizens Freed, Underground Church Seeks End to Persecution," August 25, 2000 (in FBIS); Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, "3 Chinese American Christians Expelled from China," August 28, 2000 (in FBIS); Agence France Presse, "PRC FM Spokesman Confirms Detention of 130 Underground Protestants," September 5, 2000 (in FBIS); 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet).
19 Agence France Presse, "PRC FM Spokesman Confirms Detention of 130 Underground Protestants."
20 Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, "Protestant Beaten to Death in Detention Center in Henan," October 19, 2000 (in FBIS); Christian Solidarity Worldwide, "Worsening Religious Persecution: Church Destructions & Martyrdom," December 21, 2000 (http://www.csworldwide.org/21-12-2000.html, accessed March 15, 2001).
21 Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Protestant Christianity and Religious Freedom in China; Amnesty International, Torture.
22 Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Protestant Christianity and Religious Freedom in China.
23 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet).
24 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); Human Rights Watch, "China and Tibet," 185. According to the Cardinal Kung Foundation, as of October 31, 2000, more than 20 bishops and priests of the underground Catholic Church were in prison, under house arrest, or placed under strict police surveillance while the status of 37 priests and lay members remained unknown. The Cardinal Kung Foundation, "Prisoners of Religious Conscience for the Underground Roman Catholic Church in China," October 31, 2000 (http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/prisoners/index.html, accessed March 2, 2001).
25 Philip P. Pan, "'Saints' in Rome are 'Henchmen' to Beijing," September 30, 2000; Associated Press, "China Denounces Pope's Sainthoods," October 1, 2000; 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); Forum 18, Freedom of Religion, 30.
26 Xinhua News Agency, "RMRB Signed Article 'Exposing True Colors of 'Saints,'" October 2, 2000 (in FBIS); Reuters, "Pope Canonizes Chinese Martyrs; Beijing Upset," October 1, 2000.
27 Hangzhou Zhejiang Ribao, "Zhejiang's Ouhai District Cracks Down on 'Illegal' Religious Buildings," December 8, 2000 (in FBIS); Agence France Presse, "PRC Officials tell AFP 1,200 Temples Destroyed or Closed During Crackdown," December 13, 2000 (in FBIS); Philip P. Pan, "Crackdown at Christmas Dims Holiday for Chinese: Regional Assault on Illegal Churches Worst in Decades," Washington Post, December 18, 2000; Information Center for Human Rights & Democracy, "3000 Temples, Churches in Wenzhou Reportedly Closed Down, Demolished," December 27, 2000 (in FBIS).
28 Steven D. Marshall, Suppressing Dissent: Hostile Elements II - Political Imprisonment in Tibet, 1987-2000 (Tibet Information Network, February 2001), 7.
29 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); Steven D. Marshall, Rukhag 3: The Nuns of Drapchi Prison (Tibet Information Network, 2000); Amnesty International, Torture.
30 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet). According to the State Department, the Chinese government has denied repeated requests (including that of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) for access to the 12-year-old Gendun Choekyi Nyima, whom the Dalai Lama recognizes as the 11th Panchen Lama. Government officials have stated that he is being held for his own safety and that he is attending classes in Tibet. The government continues to insist that the 11-year-old Gyaltsen Norbu, who it recognized, is the Panchen Lama.
31 Marshall, Suppressing Dissent, 8.
32 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); Tibet Information Network, News Review: Reports from Tibet, 2000, 2001, 30.
33 Marshall, Suppressing Dissent, 8.
34 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet); Marshall, Suppressing Dissent, 8.
35 The official designation for the area where most Uighurs in China reside is the "Xinjiang Autonomous Region." (Xinjiang means "New Territories" in Chinese.) Most Uighurs, however, prefer to call this area "East Turkestan."
36 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet).
37 Interview with Uighur representative by USCIRF staff, January 31, 2001.
38 Ibid.
39 Interview with Uighur representative by USCIRF staff, January 31, 2001.
40 Ibid. 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet).
41 Interview with Uighur representative by USCIRF staff, January 31, 2001.
42 Ibid.
43 Human Rights Watch, "China and Tibet," 186.
44 Amnesty International, Torture.
45 Paul Davenport, "Testimony of a Teacher Expelled from Nanjing Seminary," Compass Direct, January 2001.
46 "A Closer Look at the Church in China," Ethics and Public Policy Center meeting, January 31, 2001. (USCIRF staff notes.)
47 Ibid.
48 Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Protestant Christianity and Religious Freedom in China.
49 2000 Country Reports, "China" (Internet).
50 See Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, May 1, 2000 ("USCIRF 2000 Annual Report"), Recommendation 2.1, 41-44.
51 See U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, ¡¦302.
52 See USCIRF 2000 Annual Report, Recommendation 2.2.b, 44-45.
53 See USCIRF 2000 Annual Report, Recommendation 2.3, 45-46.
54 Letter from Elliott Abrams, Chairman, USCIRF to President William J. Clinton, November 1, 2000.
55 U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000, ¡¦203.
56 See Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, May 1, 2001, 155-167.
57 See Letter from Barbara Larkin, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs, State Department, to U.S. Congress, October 22, 1999.
58 See IRFA ¡¦402(b)(2), 22 U.S.C. ¡¦6442(b)(2), which provides the President shall seek to identify agencies or instrumentalities, as well as specific officials, of the government of each country designated as a country of particular concern that are responsible for particularly severe violations of religious freedom.
(end excerpt)
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