An Open Letter to Leaders of G20 Countries Attending Summit in Hangzhou<\/p>\n
August 15, 2016 <\/p>\n
Leaders of G20 Countries:<\/p>\n
When you arrive in China and reach the scenic Chinese city of Hangzhou to attend the G20 Summit on September 4-5, it will be during the worst human rights crackdown in the country since the suppression of the 1989 pro-democracy movement. CHRD believes that your raising concerns of human rights with Chinese leaders and voicing support for the rule of law will help advance the Summit\u2019s objective of building economic cooperation. Such action on your part would hold great value, since many practices and policies of President Xi Jinping\u2019s administration do not make China an accountable and responsible global partner today, including the suffocation of a growing and dynamic civil society, suppression of dissent and ethnic\/religious minorities, and the state\u2019s disregard for both domestic laws and its obligations to international human rights conventions.<\/p>\n
At the Summit, you can ask Chinese leaders how they hope to inspire confidence with statements like \u201ccivil society organizations are a major force for encouraging people to get involved in public affairs\u201d when the government continues to imprison human rights defenders and outspoken critics of its policies. Or you can inquire, after China\u2019s adoption of theOverseas NGO Management Law<\/a>, which treats overseas NGOs as national security threats, how the Chinese government will convince the world that it \u201cwelcomes overseas NGOs to exchange and cooperate with domestic organizations and will try to create a sound legal environment to facilitate their activities and ensure their legitimate rights.\u201d Such statements were made in a letter signed by President Xi addressing the C20 meeting for \u201ccivil society stakeholders,\u201d which China hosted in the city of Qingdao in early July.<\/p>\n Just weeks before the G20 Summit, authorities swiftly tried and convicted four human rights activists and lawyers for \u201csubversion\u201d<\/a> in widely criticized show trials, and televised their forced confessions in state media. Authorities claim the detainees fell under the influence of \u201chostile forces\u201d from overseas.<\/p>\n Preparations for the Summit in Hangzhou mirror Chinese authorities\u2019 \u201cclean up\u201d and \u201cstability maintenance\u201d operations that have been undertaken before major international events hosted in the mainland, like the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympics<\/a>. In recent months, authorities in and around Hangzhou have tightened restrictions on \u201cunofficial\u201d Christian house churches, human rights activism, and online expression. In particular, CHRD would like to bring to your attention to the following:<\/p>\n Infringing on human rights to free expression and religious freedom while perpetuating an intolerance of criticism, the Chinese government has failed to create an environment of openness for productive G20 Summit discussions on such issues as \u201cworld economic development.\u201d Economic development that is narrowly understood as increasing GDP without the practice of rule of law or human rights protections will simply result in a world without respect for human dignity. Thus, it is vital to the mission of the G20 nations that the Chinese government lift its repressive measures that silence political and religious dissent.<\/p>\n Contacts:<\/strong><\/p>\n Renee Xia, International Director (Mandarin, English), +1 863 866 1012, reneexia[at]nchrd.org, Follow on Twitter: @ReneeXiaCHRD<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n Victor Clemens, Research Coordinator (English), +1 209 643 0539, victorclemens[at]nchrd.org, Follow on Twitter: @VictorClemens<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n\n
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