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Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Human Rights

Thou Shalt Not Protest the Chinese human rights record in France

By Judi McLeod
Wednesday, December 7, 2005

France, whose government soft peddled on last month's massive youth violence, is forbidding demonstrations during a visit to their country by the Chinese Prime Minister.

Protesters, who held French society hostage for weeks and torched thousands of vehicles, faced curfews rather than the country's military.

an edict from the French government in advance of the pre-Christmas visit of Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao to its citizens: Thou Shalt Not Protest the People's Republic of China.

according to Jacques Chirac and Company, protesters will neither be seen nor heard during the visit. They can stay home.

The order, issued this week, is seen by critics as the latest in an attempt to hide embarrassing human rights violations through censoring overseas protest.

The communist government of China goes out of its way to dodge opportunities for references to its appalling record on human rights.

Known for his perpetual PR smile, President Hu Jintao had no trouble skirting journalist's questions on his country's trampling of human rights on his September visit to Canada.

It's getting easier for globe-trotting Chinese officials to make visits to the west without the risk of protests since Canada and the U.S. maintain relations with China as a valued trade partner.

"Western human rights monitors estimate that the Chinese execute about 15,000 persons a year–more than the rest of the world's judicial executions combined." (LifeSite, Dec. 5, 2000).

Billions of dollars in trade with western countries notwithstanding, in China the role of defence lawyers is seriously underdeveloped and as families of imprisoned members can tell you, the lawyers have little impact in court cases.

Just writing an essay and posting it to the Internet can get you jailed or worse in today's Communist China.

The crushing of political dissent includes the use of police-run "mental hospitals" and "re-education through labor camps" where the few who make it back to freedom report regular use of torture.

although the United Nations has long tolerated it, China is widely recognized as one of the world's worst human rights offenders. For americans, it was former President Bill Clinton who permanently normalized trade ties with China. and Clinton did so in 2000, without even requiring that China cease its human rights abuses and religious persecution.

Canada's roots to China run deep and have been enhanced by the Maurice Strong mentored Prime Minister Paul Martin and his immediate predecessor, Jean Chrétien.

In fact, over the past 35 years China-Canada relations have gained long-term progress with close bilateral changes at all levels.

China has been quickly adding advanced Western technology to its military arsenal, the latest including U.S.-made electronic navigation systems from america and Canadian aircraft engines,

When news of the visit of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao became public last week, Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated in front of France's national assembly, attempting to bring the persecution of their practice under China's communist government to the attention of French elected officials.

Toning down their banners to polite, their words welcomed the Chinese Prime Minister to France but asked him to end his party's persecution of Faun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa). Falun Gong has been the target of repression for six years.

French police detained a number of foreign Falun Gong practitioners during a visit by Chinese leader Hu Jintao in 2004.

In France, just like some Orwellian animals are better than others, some protesters have more rights than others.


Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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