THE OPINION: Interview with José Esteve Moltó ´The violation of rights in China and Tibet creates unemployment here´

PHOTO: been, in a university office. / german knight

 

Until seven months ago, Hu Jintao was the president of China and had diplomatic immunity. Just one week after leaving the position he held for ten years, the lawyer José Elías Esteve Moltó, researcher at the University of Valencia, and lawyer of the Tibet Support Committee (CAT), expanded and included the former president in the complaint against Chinese leaders for repression in the area. The National Court charged him with genocide in October.

– Son 50 years of repression in Tibet. ¿What has been done so far?

-From the judicial point of view, It is the first complaint. The rest is pressure, resolutions of the UN General Assembly, where the right to self-determination is recognized, but China vetoes everything in the Security Council.

-¿What does this accusation of the Criminal Court of the Court imply??

-This man has gone from being a statesman to being a genocidaire. It is shown that he had direct involvement in the Tibetan genocide. He was the one who gave the orders when he was the president of China, from 2003, like since 1988 a 1992, when he was the secretary of the Communist Party in Tibet. That is what the court has accepted..

-¿What difficulties have you encountered so far??

-From the moment the first complaint was admitted, in 2006, Chinese Government spokespersons say that relations between Spain and China are going to deteriorate. They always threaten the same thing.

-¿And at the judicial level?

-The prosecutor's opposition has been systematic. It was a long process. We have had to bring many victims, that are spread all over the world, which has meant a great effort for the association. Most are in exile in India and are afraid to testify because they still have relatives in Tibet.. The judge decided to take a statement through rogatory commissions and Interpol went to the victim's home. They already went to Sweden, Swiss, Belgium, USA, Canada…

-¿This represents a wear and tear on the Spanish Justice system.?

-Not at all. Spanish Justice has contributed zero euros to the case. We finance everything with campaigns and with money from our pockets. When Interpol went to India, The Government said that it did not recognize universal justice and that they could not enter. So we had no choice but to bring those victims on our own.

-¿How China has responded to the resolution?

-As usual. The embassy protested, They accused us of being separatists, to defame his government…

-¿And the Spanish Government?

-No, they haven't told us anything, but they have already succumbed to direct pressure from China. in 2009, In just two weeks the PP and the PSOE agreed to modify the organic law of the Judiciary. The Constitutional Court previously interpreted that a national connection was not necessary to open foreign processes. Now, due to pressure from China, Israel and the United States, a connection is requested. Here we have it, there is a Spanish victim.

-¿Tibet is very far away from us?

-The violation of human rights in China affects European citizens. The relocation of companies takes advantage of the violation of human rights there and causes unemployment here. Many products we buy are made by Tibetan prisoners in internment centers.

-¿How does a lawyer take on this case??

-It all came from my doctoral thesis. The Pinochet case came up and I thought about doing the same. It is also part of the work of the University's Human Rights Institute. Then they say that academic activity has no connection with society.