October 9, 2002: the Human Rights Committee of the Foreign Affairs Commission at the Italian Chamber of representatives today held the first ever hearing on religious freedom with particular emphasis on China and Vietnam. Committee chairperson, Gennaro Malgeri, said the
Italian Parliament intends to act upon the representations made by Erping Zhang, international spokesperson for Falun Gong, Kok Ksor, president of the Montagnard Foundation, Quan Nguyen, chairman of the International Committee to support the non-violent movement for Human Rights in Vietnam and Enver Can, president of the East Turkestan National Congress.
“We shall give due importance to the plight of oppressed populations and their dramatic circumstances. Respect for human rights is not and must not be treated as a rhetorical issue,” Malgeri said.
He also announced that the Committee intends to hold further hearing on the persecution of journalists and Christian minorities under Islamic regimes.
Committee member Claudio Azzolini, who also heads the Italian delegation to the Council of Europe pledged the commitment of his group to bring up the issue of religious repression at the Council.
“The current developments on the world stage tends to focus public opinion more on talk of war, but the battles of oppressed groups must not be consigned to indifference and I pledge that we will pass on the testimonies heard here today to that forum.”
Erping Zhang, international spokesperson of Falun Gong, spoke of the repression of the meditation movement adherents in China since the Communist authorities outlawed it in 1999, when the Chinese leadership - that had initially supported the meditation practice - realised that practitioners outnumbered the membership of the Communist party. Since then 492 practitioners have been killed in police custody and over 1,000 sent to labour camps and mental asylums.
Kok Ksor, founder of the Montagnard Foundation spoke of the repression of the Protestant Christian minority by the Vietnamese authorities, including torture, arrest, long jail terms without trial, disappearances and even crucifixion.
“Why does Hanoi persecute us Christians? The reason Vietnam’s religious persecution is about power and control by the communist party over the people. To keep their power they must repress us,” Ksor told the Committee.
“On December 2, 2000 three of our brothers, Siu Seo, Siu Ai and Nay Glel were arrested by Vietnamese Cong An security forces on the Montagnard village of Plei Jo Ning. They were publicly crucified and beaten while they hung on the cross for one day and night.”
The Hanoi authorities’ repression of religious freedom and human rights was also lambasted by Quan Nguyen, president of the non-violent movement for democracy in Vietnam founded by his brother and prominent dissident Nguyen Dan Que, who is currently under house arrest in Vietnam.
Quan called on the Italian Parliament to demand that the Hanoi regime stop oppressing the indigenous religious groups such as Hoa Hoa and Cao Dai, and to stop government and Party interference with Buddhist, Catholic and Protestant Churches.
Enver Can highlighted the oppression of the Muslim Uighur minority in China, which has branded the Uighur freedom movement as terrorist and intensified repression, including executions, following the September 11 terrorist attack on the US last year.
“Since September 11, China has been trying to mislead the international community by depicting the Uighur nation as terrorist. In this way they seek to justify their policy of suppression against the entire Uighur population in East Turkestan.”
“The real purpose of the Chinese regime is to accomplish its policy of assimilation, Sinicization and marginalisation of the Muslims in East Turkestan in their own country,” Can said, describing the homeland of the Uighur people, named Xinjiang since the Chinese takeover in 1949, as a colonial province.
All four speakers called on the Italian Parliament and government to consider their plight when concluding bilateral agreements with China.
The hearing was organised by Hands Off Cain and the Transnational Radical Party. HOC launched its ongoing campaign for religious freedom earlier this year.
ITALIAN SENATE PRESIDENT RECEIVES OPPRESSED PEOPLES REPRESENTATIVES’
October 10, 2002: Senator Marcello Pera, president of the Italian Senate Thursday received a delegation of representatives of groups fighting for democracy and freedom of expression and belief in China and Vietnam, led by Marco Pannella, president of the Transnational Radical Party and Italian and European Members of Parliament.
Pannella announced the upcoming session of the TRP Congress in Tirana from October 31- November 3 that will focus on the rights of groups and peoples oppressed by dictatorial and authoritarian regimes.
Pera expressed his pleasure in meeting Erping Zhang, international spokesperson for Falun Gong, Kok Ksor, president of the Montagnard Foundation, Quan Nguyen, chairman of the International Committee to support the non-violent movement for Human Rights in Vietnam, Enver Can, president of the East Turkestan National Congress, Wei Jinsheng, leader of the Overseas Chinese Democracy Coalition and Sihem Benzedrine, spokeswoman for the National Council for Freedom in Tunisia (CNLT).
The Senate President also noted the importance of the TRP’s campaign for the promotion of human rights and democracy worldwide.
The meeting followed a hearing by the Italian Senate’s Human Rights Commission where all delegates described violations of human by the Chinese and Vietnamese authorities, with particular emphasis on religious freedom.
Zhang, Ksor, Nguyen and Chan reiterated statements made Wednesday to the Italian Chamber of Representatives’ Committee on Human Rights.
Wei Jinsheng and Sihem Bensedrine, not present at the previous hearing, focused on repression in China and Tunisia respectively.
“The war on terrorism has pushed human rights issues to the background and the US is selling out on the Chinese people’s human rights because it wants the authorities co-operation against terrorism. We look to Europe to help us,” Jinsheng told the Senate Commission.
“Do you realise that in the geographic area that has produced Islamic terrorism is all subject to authoritarian regimes unconditionally allied to western democracies,” Bensedrine asked the Commission.
“For the Mediterranean to become truly a haven of peace, the northern shore cannot look upon democracy in the south as an expendable luxury.”
Commission president Senator Enrico Pianetta said he was particularly touched by Dr Quan’s statement that freedom of belief is an intrinsic human right, and pledged to contribute to the fight for its respect.
Senator Daria Bonfietti pledged to bring up the oppressed people’s rights in the assembly of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.