New Zealand must not turn a blind eye to China’s shameful human rights record during President Xi’s visit

Amnesty International is calling on New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key to raise China’s shameful human rights record during President Xi Jinping’s visit to New Zealand this week.

President Xi arrives in New Zealand tonight, but his visit comes amidst an intensified crackdown against mainland activists for peacefully supporting Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests.

“As New Zealand looks to take on a bigger role on the world stage with its election to the United Nations Security Council, human rights should not be the elephant in the room during the President’s visit,” said Grant Bayldon, Executive Director at Amnesty International in New Zealand.

“The New Zealand government must use the visit as an opportunity to speak out and call on China to release all activists in mainland China who have been detained solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

More than 100 activists in mainland China have been detained since the start of the Hong Kong protests on 26 September 2014. At least 33 are still believed to be in detention.

Individuals have been held for posting pictures online with messages of support, shaving their heads in solidarity, or for planning to travel to Hong Kong to participate in the protests. Scores of others have been called in for questioning by the authorities, euphemistically known as being “invited for tea”.

On Monday Amnesty International received reports that one of the activists detained faces the charge of “inciting subversion” and could face more than five years in prison if convicted.

“The latest wave of detentions is part of a concerted attack on fundamental freedoms since President Xi took office. It makes a mockery of Xi’s recent claims that the rule of law and human rights will be fully respected in China by 2020,” said Grant Bayldon.

President Xi’s visit to New Zealand also coincides with China’s first World Internet Conference, a three day event in the eastern Zhejiang province. The conference brings together senior Chinese officials and global web leaders to discuss the future of the internet, but is seen by many internet experts as part of China’s attempt to have a greater say in the rules that govern the web.

Since President Xi came to power, hundreds of people have been detained solely for expressing their views online. The authorities continue to abuse criminal law to suppress freedom of expression, including by detaining and imprisoning activists for online posts that fall foul of the censors.

The Chinese authorities continue to block access to thousands of websites, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Major international news sites such as the BBC and New York Times are also banned.

“Internet freedom is under attack by governments across the world but now China appears eager to promote its own domestic internet rules as a model for global regulation. This should send a chill down the spine of anyone who values online freedom,” said Grant Bayldon.

“This is another issue that New Zealand should speak out on and challenge the Chinese government’s shameful record. Human rights must be on the agenda this week.”

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