Day: May 27, 2009

(Communist China) China Said to Threaten Licenses of Human Rights Lawyers
— “In a marked departure from past practices, Beijing legal authorities have threatened to complicate or deny applications to renew the legal licenses of at least 18 of the city’s best-known civil-rights lawyers, two human-rights advocacy groups have charged.”
— “Many of the lawyers have taken on cases, involving such issues as Tibetan political activism and police brutality, that gained national and even international attention. The advocacy groups, Human Rights Watch and Chinese Human Rights Defenders, called the actions by the legal authorities part of an effort to intimidate the lawyers and their law firms into avoiding sensitive cases.”

— China: Leading Civil Rights Lawyers Face Threats to Licenses

— Lawyers Face Revocation of their Licenses for Defending Human Rights

(Communist China) Huffington Post’s Eric Anderson states: “Finally, a Pragmatic Approach to China”
— Anderson applauds “decision to avoid needlessly insulting Beijing by harping on human rights reflects a real maturation in our China policy”
— Anderson further claims that willingness to support democracy and “human rights is globally perceived as a poor veil for broader criticism of a competing political system — one whose values do not explicitly mirror our own”
— One commentor states: “You sold our economy to China, and now you want us to sell our soul. No thanks.”
— More about Eric C. Anderson’s background on a U.S. government web site

(Communist China) Pelosi Avoids Human Rights on China Visit
— “When she did mention human rights, it was in a broad context of international relations rather than specific criticism of China’s record.”
— “One group held up a sign that said read, ‘Welcome Pelosi. Pay close attention to human rights. SOS.'”

(Communist China) China protesters see red over Pelosi visit
— Chen Fengqiang: “We hope that the U.S. speaker Pelosi will speak out for the human rights of Chinese people, that she won’t be afraid to defend us”
— Chen Fengqiang: “Pelosi shouldn’t ignore human rights. But the State Council Information Office is the mouthpiece of the government, and it doesn’t tell the truth. So we came here to send a message to the top leaders too.”
— “A Reuters witness saw police dragging at least three screaming protesters into a police car.”
— Speaker Pelosi dodges human rights on China visit
—– “Pelosi’s silence — at least in public — is especially notable since her visit comes a week ahead of the 20th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on the Tiananmen Square democracy protests. During a 1991 visit to Beijing, she unfurled a banner that read ‘To those who died for democracy in China’ in the square.”
—– “The apparent shift in her approach dovetails with President Barack Obama’s new emphasis on engagement with Beijing, rather than confrontation over its human rights record. Visits by Pelosi and other senior U.S. figures have been aimed at highlighting cooperation between the two countries on a slew of issues.”