NEWS - Major Human Rights Setbacks

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Subject: NEWS - Major Human Rights Setbacks in China Reported

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Major Human Rights Setbacks in China Reported

               AP
               26-FEB-99

               WASHINGTON (AP) -- China went into reverse on human
               rights last fall, backtracking on political reform while
               continuing "to commit widespread and well-documented
               human rights abuses" that defied international norms, the
               State Department told Congress today. 

               On top of killings, torture of prisoners, forced
confessions
               and other familiar practices of an authoritarian state,
officials
               in November began to impose new regulations on the
               Internet, the publishing industry and social
organizations,
               closed several newspapers and barred politically
sensitive
               publications, the report said. 

               Religious groups, including Protestants and Catholics,
again
               experienced interference and repression even as the
number
               of adherents in many churches continued to grow at a
rapid
               pace, Congress was told. 

               Meanwhile, the Chinese government still has not provided
a
               comprehensive and credible accounting of those missing or
               detained in connection with the democracy uprising at
               Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989, the report said. 

               The timing of the annual survey of how the nations of the
               world treat their own people could not have been more
               awkward for the Clinton administration. 

               Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was headed to China
               to try to strengthen economic and political ties with the
               world's largest nation and to make preparations for a
visit
               here by Prime Minister Zhu Rongi in the spring. 

               The Senate, meanwhile, urged the administration on a 99-0
               vote Thursday to sponsor a resolution condemning China
for
               human rights abuses at a U.N. Human Rights Commission
               meeting next month in Geneva. Sponsors of the measure
               said that while it was not legally binding, it would send

a
               powerful message to Beijing as well as to democracy
               advocates in China. 

               "The arrested dissidents and their courageous supporters
               deserve our full backing in their historic struggle to
bring
               democracy to China," said Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., a
               sponsor of the measure. 

               Albright last month again voiced strong disapproval of
               China's crackdown on pro-demcoracy activists while saying
               the administration must seek cooperation with China on
               strategic and other issues. 

               China, with its veto power, is capable of blocking the
United
               States on several fronts in the U.N. Security Council,
               including economic punishment of Iraq for violating
               disarmament directives. 

               Along with China, the report sharply criticized Serbia
for
               supporting "a brutal crackdown" on civilians and
separatist
               insurgents in Kosovo province and singled out Yugoslav
               President Slobodan Milosevic for using the military,
police,
               judiciary and state-controlled media to strangle dissent
               throughout Serbia. 

               In Burma, the military junta continued its highly
repressive
               policies, targeting all forms of dissent, and in Cuba,
despite
               the visit of Pope John Paul II in early 1998, the Castro
               government continued to exercise control over all aspects
of
               Cuban life "and to suppress ruthlessly all forms of
political
               dissent," the report said. 

               The report also was critical of Turkey, a NATO ally. It
said
               that despite the promises of then-Turkish Prime Minister
               Mesut Yilmaz that human rights would be his government's
               highest priority in 1998, serious human rights abuses
               continued. 

               "Extrajudicial killings, including deaths in detention
from the
               excessive use of force, 'mystery killing,' and
disappearances
               continued," the report said. 

               "Torture remained widespread, police and anti-terror
               personnel often abused detainees and employed torture
               during incommunicado detention and interrogation," it
said. 

               In Iraq, the regime of Saddam Hussein "continued its
brutal
               campaign" of executing perceived political opponents and
               leaders in the Shiite Muslim community. Syria quashed all
               organized political opposition and dissent. In Iran, the
report
               said, a movement toward greater political openness was
               hampered by factional struggle and occasionally violent
               tactics by hardliners. 

               In Israel, the report found a significant reduction in
the scope
               of human rights abuses against Palestinians on the West
               Bank and in Gaza. 


               "Israeli security forces abused Palestinians suspected of
               security offenses," it said. "The government continues to
               detain without charge numerous Palestinians, some of them
               for lengthy periods, although the number has decreased
               significantly during the year."