Eight demands for Beijing

By Tenam

Paris, June 1: Adding to the constant international pressure on Beijing games with regard to Darfur, today, 'Collectif Chine JO 2008', a group of nine French and international associations, launched a campaign "Huit revendications pour P�kin" or 'Eight demands for Beijing' before the Beijing Olympics in August 2008.

Speaking at Centre for Foreign Press in Paris, Marie Holzman, Solidarit� Chine and one of the co-founder of the campaign said that since 2001, after China got the rights to host the Olympics there has been a concerted effort to launch a pacific and rational campaign to highlight the lamentable conditions in China.

"Thus we propose to the Chinese authorities eight realistic demands which could be implemented immediately if there is a political will," said the communique.

"At the eve of the 18th anniversary of the Tiananmen protest, there is no progress of human rights condition in China," she said. The first demand calls for the release of those imprisoned for Tiananmien protest, and to liberate all prisoners of opinion in China.

Pointing to the second demand of suspension of death penalty, Robert Badinter, former Justice Minister of France, called for the "abolition of death penalty not only in China but all over the world". China today executes more people in a year than the whole world combined.

The other demands are:
- Putting an end to the control of information, including on Internet
- Abolition of administrative detention
- To stop the systematic practice of torture
- To allow free and independent trade unions
- To delete article 306 of the Penal code, which allows the repression of lawyer
- To put an end to forced expulsions of citizens from their housing or, their lands

A recent Human Rights Watch release pointed that prominent lawyers representing civil rights and human rights cases have reported being given a blanket prohibition by state security agents in China. This prohibits them to talk to foreign media, and several localities have adopted regulations prohibiting lawyers and court officials from talking to the media.

"Olympics is a good opportunity for the Chinese government to honour its own words of improving Human rights in China," pointed out Li Xiaorong, political analyst from Maryland University.

Wangpo Bashi, Secretary, Bureau du Tibet reiterated that the Tibet issue is "not an ideological battle" but rather the issue of "justice against injustice, violence against non-violence, and democracy and lack of democracy."

"The period preceding the Olympics is crucial to remind the Chinese authorities of their promises and to draw the attention of the international community to the human rights conditions in China," the communique said.

Stressing the importance of concerted effort during the coming year, Marie Holzman said that China reacts to international pressure and there are ways to access that the demands are met.

The nine associations are, Action des Chr�tiens pour l'abolition de la Torture (ACAT-France), Agir pour les Droits de l'Homme (ADH), Amnesty International (AI-France), Comit� de Soutien au Peuple Tib�tain (CSPT), Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), F�d�ration Internationale des Ligues des Droits de l'Homme (FIDH), Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (LDH), Reporters Sans Fronti�res (RSF), Solidarit� Chine.

More information is available at http://pekin2008.rsfblog.org/

Tenam is a freelance journalist based in Paris. He can be contacted at [email protected]