Phayul
Tenzin Dharpo
September 11, 2015
DHARAMSHALA, September 11: An alliance of nongovernmental organization has sent an open letter to US president Barack Obama urging him to invite the members of the organizations to the white house in advance to Chinese President Xi Jin Ping’s upcoming state visit to the US, to discuss the deteriorating human rights situation in China and Tibet.
The coalition has mentioned that they are “primary targets of the Chinese government’s hostility” and that they are imminent subjects to “arbitrary detention, torture, harassment of family members, and disappearance” for doing nothing more than to “report courageously on official wrongdoing”.
Highlighting the Chinese government’s clampdown against the ordinary people that consist of community organizers, law professors and legal practitioners, devout members of religious communities, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and peaceful activists for positive change, the letter recounts, “Between mid-July and mid-August, more than 250 members of China’s fledgling community of human rights lawyers were targeted by police in a coordinated sweep across the country; while most were quickly released, the community is now noticeably less outspoken. Most ominously, 22 lawyers or legal activists continue to be held, 15 in criminal detention or “residential surveillance” at locations unknown, while seven disappeared into police custody”.
The letter further reads, “We believe that visibly demonstrating support and solidarity for that community may bring individuals or their organizations relief from persecution, and in turn also protect their efforts on legal reform, the freedom of expression and religion, and other issues critical to a healthy, predictable US-China relationship”.
The letter has been signed by representatives of International Campaign for Tibet, Amnesty International USA, China Aid, Freedom House, Human Rights in China, Initiatives for China, Reporters without Borders and Uyghur Human Rights Project.
Chinese President Xi Jinping will begin his two day official visit to the US on September 24, 2015 to bolster trade and discuss bilateral relations between the two economic power houses of the world.
