Failure to query rights in China criticised

JIMMY WALSH

SEANAD REPORT: IT WAS disappointing the Irish authorities had not raised individual cases of human rights abuses with the Chinese vice-president, Xi Jinping, during his visit, Katherine Zappone (Ind) said.

In the context of diplomatic and trade negotiations there were often opportunities to make breakthroughs on individual cases that could enable the release of certain prisoners.

She said when the Chinese delegation met the President, a human rights activist and poet, she thought of the case of another human rights activist and poet, Liu Xiaobo, who had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental rights in China and who had been in prison there since 2009 for “inciting subversion of state power”.

Political and religious expression was widely curtailed in China with democracy activists and reformers often detained and repressed, added Ms Zappone, a nominee of the Taoiseach in the Seanad.

Amnesty International had described human rights violations in China as “staggering”.

David Norris (Ind) said that as an Irishman he was ashamed that during the course of the visit a lone Tibetan protester holding a “Free Tibet” placard had been arrested. He had been detained under a law prohibiting the display of posters deemed to be offensive, obscene or abusive.

“What is obscene, abusive or offensive about freedom?” asked Mr Norris.

Colm Burke (FG) stressed that any debate on the state of affairs in China should also focus on the positive achievements in that country.

More than 150 million people had been brought above the poverty line in less than a decade and a huge number of young Chinese were taking third-level education courses in various parts of the world.

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