China's first attempt at rights action plan
Updated
China has published its first human rights action plan, which will span the next two years with pledges that range from curbing the torture of prisoners to boosting job opportunities. International human rights organisations have welcomed the announcement but urged the Chinese government to do more.
Within China, a human rights lawyer says the plan will help people fight for their rights but admits it will hardly change anything significantly and he may possibly loose a human rights battle himself.
Presenter: Lily Yan
Speaker: Liu Jingsong, Beijing human rights lawyer; Sisi Liu, Amnesty International in Hong Kong
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LILY YAN: The National Human Rights Action Plan, issued by the Information Office of the Chinese State Council, is the first of its kind. The government has made many promises, ranging from "strictly controlling death penalties" to "guarantee people's rights to be heard". Social unrest in China has been on the rise for months. Thousands of workers have been sacked without entitlements or forced to work without pay. Many of these desperate workers take their anger to the streets. Others have lost hope and committed suicide.
Beijing human rights lawyer Liu Jingsong is an outspoken advocate on Chinese human rights issues. He says it is this worsening situation in China that has made the Chinese government realise that it is important to protect human rights before it's too late.
LIU JINGSONG: China is facing the economy downturn like many other countries in the world. No doubt these have caused more cases of human rights violations. Chinese government has actually realised that. Global financial crisis and the damage it caused are not excuses for abusing human rights.
LILY YAN: International Human Rights organisations have welcomed the plan. But as Sisi Liu from Amnesty International in Hong Kong says, the plan lacks specific targets in some of the most important areas.
SISI LIU: It would be much better if the plan has a lot more specific target and goals. I mean it does have some goals set up, for example education and environment protection, but in many other areas especially political rights it does not have specific goals set.
LILY YAN: The announcement of the plan comes soon after a number of reports about prisoners dying in detention. At least six prisoners have reportedly died in the last two months while in detention and waiting for trial. T he youngest was only 18 years of age.
Liu Jingsong says many Chinese people do not know their rights and this plan will come as a welcome help to them.
LIU JINGSONG: Chinese media has reported on this plan, all Chinese citizens will know about it now, so when the human rights victims fight for their rights, at least this plan, if you like, will give them one more bullet to fire.
LILY YAN: However, Liu says the document itself barely touches on the issues at the heart of the problem.
LIU JINGSONG: I always think the first force to fight with corruption is to have an opposition party. Normally they are the one who will put pressure on the government. On top of that, a free media, an independent judicial system and well educated mass, all these will contribute to a fair society. But China is lacking in all of them, that's why China has so many severe human rights violation issues.
LILY YAN: Liu Jingsong is facing a human rights battle himself. The local government takes licence fee payment from the lawyers every year, but it never explains how it spends the millions of dollars. When Liu requested the officials to disclose this information, his firm was shut down.
LIU JINGSONG: Right now, I am just waiting to die (laugh). But, I am not going to die without a fight. I will make the most of my professional knowledge and fight the case the best I can.
LILY YAN: Liu says even he himself becomes a victim of human rights abuses, the fight for the rights will go on.
LIU JINGSONG: As I have said on many other occasions, we (the human rights lawyers) are like the builders of a Chinese human rights mansion. Even some corrupted officials pushed us from the building and we probably will die, and I am prepared to die, the building will not collapse. It will be there and will go on.
