The proposed new anti-terror law in China would be a targeted assault on freedom of religion and expression, as well as the rights of ethnic minorities, Amnesty International warned.<\/p>\n
4 March 2015, 00:01 UTC<\/p>\n
The proposed new anti-terror law in China would be a targeted assault on freedom of religion and expression, as well as the rights of ethnic minorities, Amnesty International warned.<\/p>\n
Despite recent revisions, the draft law has virtually no safeguards to prevent those who peacefully practice their religion or simply criticize government policies from being persecuted on broad charges related to \u201cterrorism\u201d or \u201cextremism\u201d.<\/p>\n
The National People\u2019s Congress (NPC), China\u2019s annual parliamentary session which starts on Thursday, is expected to rubber-stamp the latest draft of the law.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina has a duty to protect people from violent attacks but this draconian law is not the answer. National security is being used as a pretext to further attack religious freedom and silence government critics,\u201d said William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International.<\/p>\n
China has a duty to protect people from violent attacks but this draconian law is not the answer. National security is being used as a pretext to further attack religious freedom and silence government critics.<\/p>\n
William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Anyone suspected of \u201cterrorist\u201d activities could also see their freedom of movement severely restricted, and be subjected to so-called \u201ceducation\u201d measures or other forms of arbitrary detention.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe revisions aren\u2019t enough, Chinese authorities should rip up this this vaguely-worded draft and start again. There need to be adequate safeguards in place to balance security with individuals\u2019 rights,\u201d said William Nee.<\/p>\n
International standards require that human rights, including freedom of expression, are protected in any national security legislation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFreedom of expression, including peaceful criticism of the government policies or the government itself, should be explicitly protected in any law,\u201d said William Nee.<\/p>\n
Religious freedom in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region<\/h2>\n
Religious freedom comes under specific attack in the draft legislation. Anyone who provides venues for religious worship could potentially be criminalized and branded as \u201cterrorists\u201d or \u201cextremists\u201d, even if the religious practices are completely peaceful.<\/p>\n
In the past year the Chinese authorities have tightened their already onerous restrictions on Islam in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR), with the stated aim of fighting \u201cviolent terrorism and religious extremism\u201d.<\/p>\n
The authorities have ratcheted up restrictions on public displays of Islam; long beards have been banned, as have veils, hijabs, and T-shirts with the Islamic crescent moon and star. During the month of Ramadan, authorities banned fasting for some groups.<\/p>\n
In May 2014, a \u201cstrike hard\u201d campaign was launched in the XUAR, and officials prioritized speedy arrests, quick trials and mass sentencing. The government called for greater \u201cco-operation\u201d between prosecuting authorities and courts, raising additional concerns that accused individuals would not receive fair trials.<\/p>\n
State media have reported that after six months of the \u201cstrike hard\u201d campaign, by autumn 2014 at least 238 alleged \u201cillegal religious preachers\u201d and people who had provided religious venues had been detained and 171 venues for \u201cillegal religious activities\u201d had been \u201celiminated\u201d. A total of 23,000 \u201cillegal religious items\u201d were confiscated, including more than 18,000 books and 2,600 CDs and DVDs.<\/p>\n
In January, the XUAR Communist Party Committee declared 2015 a \u201cstrike hard year\u201d, and announced that the campaign would be extended until the end of the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is chilling that the government sees the \u2018strike hard\u2019 campaign in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region as a blue-print for future anti-terror measures nation-wide,\u201d said William Nee.<\/p>\n
In a dangerous precedent, Ilham Tohti, a prominent Uighur scholar and founder of the website \u201cUighur Online\u201d, was sentenced to life imprisonment in September 2014 after being convicted of \u201cseparatism\u201d, with articles from the website being the main evidence used against him. His case is seen as a model for the \u201cstrike hard\u201d campaign. Amnesty International is calling for his immediate and unconditional release as a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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