Lawmakers and advisors Thursday voiced their strong condemnation
of the US State Department's 2006 Human Rights Report that
criticized China's human rights situation.
Lawmakers and advisors made the remarks on the sidelines of the
National People's Congress (NPC) in response to the US report
issued Tuesday, which said China's human rights record deteriorated
in some areas in 2006.
"It is sheer nonsense and groundless," said Degyi, a national
legislator and vice chairwoman of the Tibetan Autonomous Region,
saying the criticism on China's discrimination against ethnic
minorities and women was "extremely ridiculous."
Citing her own experience, 48-year-old Degyi said she used to be
the head of two Tibetan prefectures for 14 years before being newly
appointed the region's vice chairwoman.
Gender equality is practiced in all social sectors in Tibet, not
to mention the equality of different minorities, she said.
Degyi said it is groundless for the United States to conclude
that the economic development of Tibet is achieved at the cost of
traditional Tibetan culture.
"I was born in Tibet, and lived here for almost half a century.
I've witnessed that the Tibetan culture heritage has been well
protected since the region's peaceful liberation in 1951," said
Degyi.
In 2006 alone, the Chinese government spent more than 300
million yuan to protect Tibetan cultural relics and religious
sites.
Shi Rui, a political advisor, or member of the National
Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
(CPPCC), from Jingpo ethnic minority, said Jingpo people do not
feel inferior despite their small population of 130,000.
NPC deputy Chen Zhonglin, dean of the School of Law under the
Southwest University of Political Science and Law, said the US
report was not based on in-depth investigation but on the words by
some overseas Chinese who took political bribes to intentionally
distort the human rights situation in China.
Chen, vice-chairman of the China Association of Criminology,
expressed his dissatisfaction about the part of the report
distorting China's criminal and judicial system.
He said execution and death penalty are different in China. "It
is strictly prohibited in China to execute directly after the death
penalty is announced."
"Even if an appeal is rejected, the procedure of death penalty
review and execution enforcement is still needed," Chen said.
Xue Cheng, another member of the CPPCC National Committee and
secretary-general of the Buddhist Association of China, said China
has been giving equal attention to different religions.
"Religious and non-religious people are respected equally in
China. The ruling Communist Party of China adopts atheism, which
has on the other hand ensured the equal and objective treatment to
different religions," said Xue, adding that it is "totally
ridiculous" for some countries to believe that the ruling party
will set obstacles for religious groups.
Some other lawmakers and advisors suggested the United States
care more about its own human rights issues and stop interfering in
other nation's internal matters, while its own human rights
condition is globally criticized.
(Xinhua News Agency March 9, 2007)
