Human Rights Report Released in London

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office released its 12th annual human rights report on Wednesday.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband spoke at the launch.

The report lists countries where the human rights situation causes concern to the British government and documents the global human rights situation over the last year.

Miliband had just got back from a visit to China for talks with officials and the country was listed in the report.

[David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary]:
“In China, 2009 ended with the execution of a mentally ill British citizen Akmal Shaikh, and the imprisonment of prominent human rights activists, whose cases I raised in China yesterday and the day before.”

The case of rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng, who disappeared one year ago, was included in the China section of the report, along with Tibet, the death penalty and Xinjiang.

The report failed to highlight the Chinese regime’s persecution of the Falun Gong spiritual group. The persecution is now in its 10th year and has claimed over three thousand lives in mainland China. A resolution calling for an end to the persecution was just passed in the United States House of Representatives on Tuesday.

Iran was also listed as a country of concern. 2009 saw a widespread crackdown on protests at the result of Iran’s presidential election last June.

[David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary]:
“In Iran, security forces reacted brutally to demonstrations against the presidential election’s result. Today’s regime in Iran meets the demands of the population for human rights and democracy with violence and with oppression.”

The report can be read in full on the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office website.

Ben Hedges, NTD News, London.

Foto: NTDTV