Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs Writes to Practitioners about Human Rights in China

Dear [...],

Thank you for your letter of 13 November 2002 concerning representations you have received from Mr Bill Weigerink and his wife, Ms Esther Wang, who are concerned about family members detained in China for practicing Falun Gong.

The Government is concerned about the situation of these detained family members and will seek information on their welfare from the Chinese Government, through the Australian Embassy in Beijing. To facilitate this, I would encourage Mr Weigerink and Ms Wang to provide further information to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, either by letter or by contacting Ms Elly Lawson on 02 6261 1137.

Ms Wang and her husband have written to me before about the detention of Ms Wang's mother, Mrs Li Jielin. This matter is of concern to the Government. My department made representations on Mrs Li's behalf on general human rights grounds at the last two rounds of the bilateral Human Rights Dialogue, most recently held in Canberra on 14 August 2002. The Chinese have told us that Mrs Li was arrested in July 2000 [...] and sentenced to three years in Yongchuan prison, Sichuan. I have asked my department to make further representations on Mrs Li's behalf.

On the broader question of Falun Gong, the Government takes no position on the doctrine or practices of Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa). But the Government considers that China's ban on Falun Gong breaches fundamental rights of assembly and free expression. The Government also believes that China's maltreatment of Falun Gong practitioners - including relatives of Australian citizens - contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which China has signed, but not yet ratified, and the Convention Against Torture. Australia has repeatedly urged China to ratify the ICCPR as soon as possible, and with a minimum of reservations.

The Australian Government has raised its concerns to the Chinese authorities on many occasions and at the highest levels, including during the last round of the Human-Rights Dialogue. Though China's response did not suggest an easing of its stance on Falun Gong, the Chinese did say they were studying their laws to see how they would need to be revised to conform to ICCPR obligations: this is an important step towards ratifying the ICCPR. The Chinese also advised that they were currently reviewing their Criminal Procedure Law with a view to introducing stricter provisions to prevent the admission of evidence obtained through torture.

Australia's policy on human rights in China reflects the Government's judgment that non-confrontational dialogue and well-directed technical assistance are more likely to achieve lasting improvements in China's respect for human rights than the alternative approaches.

Yours sincerely

Alexander Downer