WASHINGTON--Commissioner Nina Shea discussed religious freedom violations in
China at a briefing sponsored by the congressional Task Force on International
Religious Freedom entitled, Religious Freedom in China: Analyzing the
Impact of the Olympics’ Role in Shaping Bilateral and Multilateral Efforts to
Bring About a Peaceful Democratic Transition."
In order to raise the
profile of religious freedom and related human rights promotion through the
2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Commission has urged the U.S. Congress to
allocate sufficient resources within funds appropriated for the security of
U.S. citizens in Beijing during the Games to ensure that training and related
information materials include content that:
·
instructs security officials, Olympic spectators, and
athletes on China’s commitments to uphold for all visitors certain
internationally recognized human rights standards during the Olympic Games;
and
·
informs U.S. citizens, participants, and spectators at the
Olympic games of their rights, protected under international law, and
identifies problem areas they may encounter with Chinese authorities relating
to the freedoms of expression, religion or belief, assembly, and association,
including information on Chinese law and the recent human rights practices of
the Chinese government.
“China was awarded the
Olympics with the expectation that its repressive policies would
improve. That has not happened. Now, the international community
must say clearly to the Chinese government that the continued repression of
the religious freedom of its own people only hurts China’s international
prestige, harms U.S.-China relations, and violates China’s international
obligations. Hopefully, China will come to realize that protecting
religious freedom and related human rights is not only the right thing to do;
it also serves its own interests,” Shea said.
The off-the-record
briefing was chaired by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and included the
participation of Regina Kidder, a human rights activist for the rights
of the Uyghur people in East Turkestan; Bob Fu, President of China Aid
Association; and Todd Stein, Director of Government Relations for the
International Campaign for Tibet.
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