Resolution on the detention of Mr Wang Dan and the human rights situation in the People's Republic of China

B4-1258, 1268, 1301, 1311, 1321 and 1326/96

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on human rights violations in China,

- having regard to the December 1995 Council statement that the basic goals of EU-China relations are, inter alia, the promotion of democratic structures based on the rule of law and respect for human rights,

- having regard to the EU Presidency's statement of 5 November 1996 on the sentence imposed in China on Mr Wang Dan,

A. having regard to the recent court case involving Mr Wang Dan, the 27-year-old Chinese dissident and member of the pro-democracy movement, who, after spending three and a half years in detention following his arrest, was condemned to an eleven-year prison sentence,

B. whereas Mr Wang Dan was charged with 'attempting to overthrow the government' on account of the publication in the international press of articles written by him, and of contacts with various foreign universities,

C. whereas Wang Dan's trial was not conducted under the internationally recognized minimum conditions guaranteeing a fair trial and the international observers who went to Beijing to attend the trial were not allowed to do so,

D. whereas, as the Council stated, Mr Wang Dan has been sentenced for activities which, in a democratic society, would be regarded as the exercise of his inalienable right to express himself freely,

E. very concerned by the situation and health of other political prisoners such as Liu Xiaobo, a literary critic accused of criticizing the Chinese authorities, and Wei Jingsheng, who was awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize in October 1996,

F. whereas the reform of the judicial and legal system announced on several occasions by the Government of the People's Republic of China has still not been put into effect,

G. whereas a consolidation of economic reforms must go hand in hand with the development of democracy,

1. Deplores the sentence passed on Mr Wang Dan and calls for him to be released immediately and for all political and judicial harassment of him to be brought to an end,

2. Calls for all judicial and procedural guarantees to be applied at the appeal;

3. Calls on the European Union and the Member States to instruct their local representatives to monitor the progress of the appeal;

4. Condemns the attitude of the Chinese authorities, who severely curtail the exercise of basic human rights such as, in particular, freedom of expression and association, and voices its conviction that freedom of expression is one of the sources from which a genuine democracy draws its strength; stresses in this connection the importance of a free press;

5. Calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to give medical teams and international humanitarian organizations regular and confidential access to detainees in Chinese prisons and in the 'laogai';

6.Emphasizes its desire to pursue an open, candid dialogue with the Government of the People's Republic of China with a view to ensuring that genuine progress is made with regard to respect for human rights;

7. Calls on Commissioner Brittan to do his utmost, during his visit to China, to ensure that Parliament's recommendations are acted upon;

8. Calls on the Council and Commission to determine the EU's strategy towards China, ensuring that there is a consistent balance between economic relations and the assessment of respect for human rights in that country, inter alia by including a human rights clause in trade agreements between the European Union and China;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Government of the People's Republic of China.