Mr President, I must explain that I rise to speak in the name of my colleague Mr Moorhouse, who has put down two motions for resolutions on human rights. Unfortunately, he has had to go back to London. He has asked me to say in particular that Qin Yongmin was severely beaten by prison warders and a fellow inmate after taking legal action against the Wuhan police for his illegal detention. He was beaten on 8 June 1994, but did not receive medical attention until late July. He was beaten for a second time, reportedly until he fell unconscious. Qin Yongmin has suffered permanent damage and internal bleeding. We must ensure that this atrocious treatment is not allowed to continue in a country which claims to be civilized.

Mr Moorhouse's second resolution draws attention to the sentence of up to 15 years' imprisonment pronounced against five Tibetans in China for "counter-revolutionary activities". The five men are apparently monks. They have still not been released. Nor have full details of the trial been released. However, this is not surprising as international standards for fair trials are not respected either in Tibet or China. The sentences are staggeringly unfair and severe in view of the alleged crime. Surely these people were exercising a basic democratic right in expressing their dissatisfaction with their government.