Policy | 08/06/2015
Beijing, 8 jun (EFE).- The Chinese Government defended today that its citizens are increasingly free to express their opinions, above all, an internet, while the number of arrests of activists and dissidents has increased under accusations based on comments they made on social networks.
"El público puede expresar (and spread) your opinions, críticas y sugerencias de manera libre", the Executive assures in a new White Paper on Human Rights published today and in which it includes the progress made by China in this field in 2014.
According to the text, un ciberespacio "limpio" se está convirtiendo en el lugar más importante para la sociedad para obtener información y "que sus voces sean escuchadas".
Nevertheless, This situation collides with the highest number of arrests of activists and dissidents recorded this year, according to organizations such as Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CAD), under accusations based on comments they made on the internet.
One of the examples is the case of lawyer Pu Zhiqiang, who has been in jail for more than a year without yet going through a trial, y quien fue acusado de "incitación al odio étnico" y "provocación de disturbios" by the Chinese prosecutor's office last May.
Specifically, la fiscalía le inculpa de difundir "repetidamente" messages that, supposedly, incited hatred and disruption of public order, in reference to some comments that Pu posted on Weibo - the Chinese Twitter- on the government's policies in the restive western region of Xinjiang.
In the White Paper published today, Beijing also defends that ethnic minorities in China enjoy complete religious freedom, specifically, in reference to the Tibetan and Uyghur minorities (who live in Xinjiang), where conflicts persist.
"La creencia religiosa de las minorías étnicas está completamente garantizada en China", holds the text, which gives as an example the financial contributions made to religious centers in Tibet.
The publication comes after a Tibetan tried to immolate himself in China, and a Tibetan woman got it a week later, in protest of the regime's repression of their culture.
Added to this are the sentences carried out in Xinjiang for wearing a long beard or covering oneself with a veil based on new and controversial measures to discourage these practices in this region - mostly, Muslim religion, that Beijing links to religious extremism.
The White Paper also recalls the new measures taken by China to guarantee a clean environment, amid growing public concern about the serious pollution suffered by much of the country.
According to Beijing, la legislación para proteger el medioambiente se ha mejorado y las penas a los infractores se han "intensificado".
China defiende en el texto que está jugando un papel "constructivo" in promoting human rights in the world, taking into account the seat he currently occupies on the UN Human Rights Council.
Nevertheless, and as Efe has learned, Beijing pressures the rest of the members to ignore resolutions that could negatively affect it, and prevents human rights groups in China from holding meetings with the president of the Council or other prominent members.
