Human Rights Report On China

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.voanews.com/policy/editorials/Human-Rights-Report-On-China--120520229.html

"A negative trend in key areas of human rights record continued."

04-23-2011

The U.S. Department of State's annual report on human rights conditions around the world was recently released for the year 2010. The report stated that "a negative trend in key areas of human rights record continued."

The Report noted that "the government took additional steps to rein in civil society ... and increased attempts to limit freedom of speech and to control the press, the Internet, and Internet access. Efforts to silence political activists and public interest lawyers were stepped up, and increasingly the government resorted to extralegal measures including enforced disappearance, 'soft detention,' and strict house arrest, including house arrest of family members, to prevent the public voicing of independent opinions. ... Individuals and groups, especially those seen as politically sensitive by the government, continued to face tight restrictions on their freedom to assemble, practice religion, and travel."

The State Department said that China's human rights problems included extrajudicial killings, executions without due process, enforced disappearance, incommunicado and prolonged illegal detentions at unofficial holding facilities known as "black jails", torture and coerced confessions of prisoners, detention and harassment of journalists, writers, dissidents, and petitioners who sought to peacefully exercise their rights under the law.


FULL story at link.