WASHINGTON – China has not met its commitments to address human rights concerns, which were made in December talks with the United States, the State Department said.
“During much of 2002, we saw incremental, but unprecedented steps in the right direction on human rights,” department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a written response to a question asked earlier Wednesday at a daily press briefing.
“We have been disappointed, therefore, to see negative developments in 2003,” he said.
“The commitments to make progress on human rights concerns made by China at the conclusion of the December human rights dialogue have not been met, and there have been a number of troubling incidents since the beginning of the year.”
Among Washington’s concerns are the execution of a Tibetan without due process, the arrests of democracy activists, and harsh sentences given to Internet essayists and labor protesters, Boucher said.
US diplomats and family members have had no access to trials of political prisoners, while authorities ignore due process rights for people accused of political crimes, he added.
Media outlets have been blocked from reporting on politically sensitive issues, and 18 Tibetans were repatriated from Nepal in violation of UN practices, he said.
“This backsliding on human rights is of great concern to the United States and the international community,” the spokesman said.
“We urge the Chinese government to take steps to ensure that its citizens are not persecuted for the peaceful expression of their views, and to release all prisoners of conscience,” Boucher said.
