China's AIDS Premier Visits UK

On the occasion of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's visit to the UK, the following concerns on China's institutional abuses of human rights should be highlighted:

Li Keqiang helped cover up AIDS scandal while he was Party Secretary and Governor of Henan province from 1998-2004. Over 300,000 contracted HIV from state-sponsored blood-selling stations. At least 100,000 died. AIDS victims are subjected to discrimination; those who seek justice through petitioning face persecution.

1. Crackdown on freedom of expression and civil society; criminalisation of people exercising their right to participate in public life through standing as independent Local People’s Congress candidates or engaging in public policy debates.
2. Death of human rights defenders in detention due to torture.
3. Limitations on defence rights including appointment of lawyer of choice, access to a lawyer, right to call witnesses.
4. Brutal repression in ethnic minority regions especially Tibet and Xinjiang.
5. Use of unlawful and arbitrary detention including de facto house arrest, “black jails”, so-called legal education centres for petitioners and religious communities.

The UK government has the obligation to uphold universally-accepted human rights principles and urges the Chinese government to take the following actions:

1. Investigate and hold accountable government officials who are responsible for the outbreak of HIV/AIDS epidemic in China due to unsafe blood transfusions, provide adequate compensation to HIV/AIDS victims, and stop persecuting those who seek justice.
2. Stop ongoing persecution of human rights defenders. Release all prisoners of conscience including Wang Bingzhang, Liu Xiaobo and Ilham Tohti.
3. Guarantee the right of human rights lawyers and legal consultants. Release Gao Zhisheng, Pu Zhiqiang, Ding Jiaxi, Guo Feixiong and Xu Zhiyong.
4. Guarantee detainees' right to access adequate medical care. Immediate medical treatment must be made available to those who are reportedly critically ill, including Chen Xi and Karma Tsewang.
5. Allow independent investigation into the death of detained human rights defenders including Cao Shunli and Goshul Lobsang.
6. Ratify International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights immediately.
7. Abolish all forms of arbitrary detention.
8. Provide open access to Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang) including foreign media, diplomats and international observers.
9. Implement the recommendations from the UN Committee Against Torture 2008 review of China.

Note: The Epic of Central Plains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mMvbHOs5bw