China publishes its first 'National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010).'
by Aimee Kligman
Link to ArticleBeijing's action earned a headline in Chinese weekly Nanfang Zhoumo which read: 'National Human Rights Action Plan (2009-2010) published'.It went on to explain that this is the first time the Chinese government implemented such an action plan, defining its human rights policy for the next two years. The 22,000 word document clarifies the objectives and the specific measures taken by the Chinese government in the development and the protection of human rights, business, social and cultural laws, civil rights, citizens' political rights, the rights of ethnic minorities, women's and children's rights, rights of the elderly and handicapped. The plan also foresees raising human rights awareness, fulfillment of international obligations, as well as exchanges and international cooperation in the area of human rights. An interesting clause of the document refers specifically to the illegality of torture, and of extracting confessions by 'threat, enticement, deceit', all of which will be punishable by law. Also mentioned is compensation for victims wrongly accused, and a stricter dispensation of the death penalty.Perhaps taking a cue from the Obama administration, the document also forbids inhumane treatment of prisoners, and promises the implementation of measures to prevent torture, corporal punishment, and abusive behavior. Allowing detainees the right of visitation by family members, improving detainees' conditions with 'entertainment' (it's not clear if this is understood in the way we mean entertainment, - perhaps it alludes to allowing for newspapers, radios, or other forms of diversion). It promotes the idea of fair and open trials, as well as the right of citizens to undergo a fair trial. These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. If you have accounts on these bookmarking sites, you can post this story to share it with others.
|
