Radio France International published a report on the UN Committee against Torture’s examination of the Chinese government’s compliance with the Convention against torture. Some relevant information is translated and shared below.

Radio France International (RFI) reported from Geneva on Nov. 8 that the United Nations Committee against Torture is dissatisfied with China’s withholding of information, and urged China to provide satisfactory answers to questions that the Committee raised  before Monday.

RFI reported, “Members of the Committee stated that Beijing seems to think that it is enough to point out emphatically that China has legislation to prohibit torture, but what the Committee needs is for Beijing to explain how the legislation is implemented.”

(This viewpoint was the first point in the “Executive Summary” of FalunHR’s shadow report. This point is further emphasized and analyzed in the shadow report’s Introduction portion. In fact, the shadow report advised the Committee not to accept or affirm China’s claim of progress simply because of legislation prohibiting torture.

Here are the relevant parts of FalunHR’s shadow report:

“The PRC government’s deceptive tactic of paper progress, repeatedly used over a long period of time, should no longer be met with any encouraging comment but thoroughly exposed and criticized…”

“…the PRC government not only has not honored its commitment to the Convention, but has actively promoted the use of torture, first against non-conforming groups, and then against the general public. With the PRC government’s active promotion of the use of torture and violence, the legislation and promises on human rights are never genuine but only an armor of lies to deflect and deceive international scrutiny.”)

RFI also reported, “Nineteen human rights organizations alleged China uses torture. The Falun Gong organization indicated that, since 2000, they have been submitting cases of violations against Falun Gong practitioners to the UN human rights Special Rapporteurs. Among them are more than 1,000 cases of Falun Gong practitioners who were tortured to death, and the UN Special Rapporteurs have sent thousands of interventions to China regarding these cases,”

(Of the nineteen human rights groups’ reports, RFI has only quoted the report of FalunHR. The following are relevant parts from our shadow report:

“Since the year 2000, we have been collecting, translating, and submitting cases of the PRC’s violations of Falun Gong practitioners to the UN Special Rapporteurs.”

“Based on our information, the UN Special Rapporteurs have sent thousands of interventions to the PRC government.”

“One particular category of cases is the death of Falun Gong practitioners in police custody due to heinous torture and/or denial of medical treatment. Several UN Special Rapporteurs have sent the PRC government interventions on more than one thousand such cases.”)

RFI also reported that China’s chief delegate Li Baodong alleged on Nov. 7 in Geneva that China has consistently made efforts to prevent and punish torture acts, “However, Li Baodong’s empty statement did not address the actual issues raised by the Committee and human rights organizations.”

(On previous occasions of the Committee’s review of China – in 1993, 1996 and 2000 – the CCP got away with appearing to answer the Committee’s questions and consider its suggestions. This time, FalunHR’s shadow report pointed out the CCP’s trickery and held it to tangible issues:

“The PRC’s paper progress is also very selective. In key and tangible areas, such as making the declaration under articles 21 and 22 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (the Convention), withdrawing reservations to article 20 and 30 of the Convention, abolishing the Re-education through Labour (RTL) system and all forms of administrative detention, despite repeated recommendations from the Committee, progress is never made. This shows that the PRC government knows precisely what is important to protect human rights, how to escape international monitoring, and that no ‘technical issues’ exist in learning international practices.”

“It is clear that the PRC knows exactly what should be done to satisfy the Committee’s review and has tried to do so on paper. However, in practice, the PRC government does what the Convention explicitly prohibits. It continues to stall and in many ways prevent the Committee from monitoring the implementation of the Convention by refusing to make the declaration under articles 21 and 22 of the Convention and refusing to withdraw reservations to article 20 and 30 of the Convention.”)