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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

What Would Make The Clinton China Visit A Human Rights Success

  1. Agreement to release, amnesty or at the very least review the convictions of the 2,000 persons imprisoned on charges of "counterrevolution."

  2. Agreement that all Chinese citizens living abroad and involved in peaceful political or religious activities should be free to return to China without hindrance, and the system of blacklisting such people should be ended.

  3. Initiation of a process to end the system of re-education through labor.

  4. Securing a commitment that international humanitarian organizations will be allowed regular access to China's prison system.

  5. Securing a verifiable commitment from China to implement safeguards on freedom of association and labor rights as per its obligations as a member of the International Labor Organization. TheInternational Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, which China has signed but not ratified, also contains important safeguards on freedom of association. China's signing of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights should also be secured during the visit.

  6. Securing verifiable information on the current status and whereabouts of the Panchen Lama.

  7. Resolution of the question of China's blacklisting of American scholars and journalists and denying them visas to China.

  8. Agreement on unrestricted access to Tibet and Xinjiang by the international press corps and international human rights organizations.

  9. Securing an enforceable agreement to lift controls on the use of the Internet and ensure that those who use any means of communication with the U.S., including via the print and broadcast media,will not face any form of obstruction, harassment, persecution, or reprisal.

  10. Agreement to ease current registration requirements for religious bodies and assemblies.