Our Reference: 125504/00
7 September 2000
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
London SW1A 2AH
From The Minister of State
Tony Lloyd Esq MP
House of Commons
LONDON
SW1A 0AA
Dear Tony,
Thank you for your letter of 15 August to Robin Cook concerning the Falun Gong movement in China. I am replying as Minister responsible for relations with China.
HMG and EU partners do not take a position on the nature of the Falun Gong movement itself. We have, though, taken every suitable opportunity to raise our deep concerns about the treatment of individual adherents, notably the process of "re- education", and harsh treatment and excessive sentencing of movement's leaders. We have also questioned the Chinese authorities on the compatibility of their actions against Falun Gong adherents with the freedoms of association and expression, both provisions of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which China signed in October 1998. I have personally raised with the Chinese Ambassador disturbing reports of harassment of China based relatives of Falun Gong adherents based in the United Kingdom.
We and EU partners do not take a position on the nature of the Falun Gong movement itself. We have, though, taken every suitable opportunity to raise our deep concerns about the treatment of individual adherents, notably the process of "re- education", and harsh treatment and excessive sentencing of movement's leaders. We have also questioned the Chinese authorities on the compatibility of their actions against Falun Gong adherents with the freedoms of association and expression, both provisions of International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which China signed in October 1998. I have personally raised with the Chinese Ambassador disturbing reports of harassment of China based relatives of Falun Gong adherents based in the United Kingdom.
We will continue to press the Chinese authorities on these and other related issues, including at the next round of the UK/China Human Rights Dialogue scheduled to take place in London between 16-18 October.
On the first anniversary of the banning of the Falun Gong movement, FCO officials made clear to the Chinese Embassy that we expected the authorities in Beijing to deal leniently with any demonstrators arrested in China over the anniversary period.
I hope this is helpful.
Yours sincerely
John Battle
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