China police take away citizens airing grievances
By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 27 mins ago
BEIJING – Police in China's capital took away at least eight people trying to air grievances in front a government building Friday, days ahead of a key review of the country's human rights record by the United Nations.
The eight were part of a loosely organized group of about 30 people from all around the country who had come to Beijing in hopes the central government would help them with a variety of problems, mostly centered around local corruption.
They gathered in front of the Cabinet's information office Friday morning as more than a dozen officers and several squad cars stood by. Some carried banners but did not unfurl them. One said "Safeguard human rights. I love China," while another was painted with the Chinese character for "injustice."
Eight of the group were eventually escorted to empty public buses and later driven off by police in smaller vehicles. The group scattered soon after.
It was unclear what happened to the eight. Telephones at Beijing's main public security bureau rang unanswered Friday.
The incident, while not unusual, underscores the country's tight grip over social order as the U.N. Human Rights Council was to begin reviewing China on Monday as part of a new process that evaluates the practices of member countries.
The resulting report will be closely watched because China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, is often criticized for its human rights record.
While the government has made some progress in opening up, journalists, lawyers and activists are still regularly detained or imprisoned under murky subversion charges. The Internet is heavily censored, with content that criticizes or embarrasses the Communist Party leadership quickly removed.
Authorities are especially sensitive this year, the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests and the subsequent military crackdown. On Thursday, two events commemorating a milestone 1989 Chinese art exhibition were shut down.
For many in China's poverty-stricken countryside, the pilgrimage to the capital is their last hope for recourse after being ignored or mistreated by local officials for years. The centuries-old practice dates back from days when people could petition the emperor.
The people often come armed with stacks of documents and pictures of their loved ones. Most are detained by police and sent home.
"My goal today is to defeat corruption with the law and win some justice," said Chen Xinchun, a 40-year-old farmer from Sichuan province. He has come to Beijing five times trying to plead with the Cabinet, the courts and the public security bureau for an inquiry into the death 20 years ago of his mother, who Chen said was beaten by someone connected with local police.
"They do nothing and push us around," said Chen, who was surrounded by six family members. "Corruption is everywhere."
Chen was part of a group who took part in a rare protest outside the Foreign Ministry in December, which used the 60th anniversary of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights to decry a myriad of alleged government abuses.
The U.N. declaration was adopted and proclaimed in 1948, a year before the Communists came to power in China. While not binding, it has inspired many later human rights treaties.
By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer
1 hr 27 mins ago
BEIJING – Police in China's capital took away at least eight people trying to air grievances in front a government building Friday, days ahead of a key review of the country's human rights record by the United Nations.
The eight were part of a loosely organized group of about 30 people from all around the country who had come to Beijing in hopes the central government would help them with a variety of problems, mostly centered around local corruption.
They gathered in front of the Cabinet's information office Friday morning as more than a dozen officers and several squad cars stood by. Some carried banners but did not unfurl them. One said "Safeguard human rights. I love China," while another was painted with the Chinese character for "injustice."
Eight of the group were eventually escorted to empty public buses and later driven off by police in smaller vehicles. The group scattered soon after.
It was unclear what happened to the eight. Telephones at Beijing's main public security bureau rang unanswered Friday.
The incident, while not unusual, underscores the country's tight grip over social order as the U.N. Human Rights Council was to begin reviewing China on Monday as part of a new process that evaluates the practices of member countries.
The resulting report will be closely watched because China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, is often criticized for its human rights record.
While the government has made some progress in opening up, journalists, lawyers and activists are still regularly detained or imprisoned under murky subversion charges. The Internet is heavily censored, with content that criticizes or embarrasses the Communist Party leadership quickly removed.
Authorities are especially sensitive this year, the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests and the subsequent military crackdown. On Thursday, two events commemorating a milestone 1989 Chinese art exhibition were shut down.
For many in China's poverty-stricken countryside, the pilgrimage to the capital is their last hope for recourse after being ignored or mistreated by local officials for years. The centuries-old practice dates back from days when people could petition the emperor.
The people often come armed with stacks of documents and pictures of their loved ones. Most are detained by police and sent home.
"My goal today is to defeat corruption with the law and win some justice," said Chen Xinchun, a 40-year-old farmer from Sichuan province. He has come to Beijing five times trying to plead with the Cabinet, the courts and the public security bureau for an inquiry into the death 20 years ago of his mother, who Chen said was beaten by someone connected with local police.
"They do nothing and push us around," said Chen, who was surrounded by six family members. "Corruption is everywhere."
Chen was part of a group who took part in a rare protest outside the Foreign Ministry in December, which used the 60th anniversary of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights to decry a myriad of alleged government abuses.
The U.N. declaration was adopted and proclaimed in 1948, a year before the Communists came to power in China. While not binding, it has inspired many later human rights treaties.
