美國務院2011年人權報告：（中國部分）摘要

美國務院2011年人權報告：（中國部分）摘要

【Comment】

對於中國，這項敘述永遠是核心：citizens did not have the right to change their government。一切侵害人權之事，皆由此而來。

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011◎DoS（2012.05.25）

http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper

Secretary's Preface

The world changed immeasurably over the course of 2011.  Across the Middle East, North Africa, and far beyond, citizens stood up to demand respect for human dignity, more promising economic opportunities, greater political liberties, and a say in their own future.  Often they faced tremendous odds and endured violent responses from their governments.  The resulting upheavals are still unfolding today in places like Syria, where the regime has brutalized its own people. In Burma, after years of repression, the government has taken preliminary steps to allow reforms to begin.  This year’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices chronicle these dramatic changes and the stories of the people defending human rights in almost 200 countries around the world.

Congress mandated these country reports more than three decades ago to help guide lawmakers’ decisions on foreign military and economic aid, but they have evolved into something more.  Today, governments, intergovernmental organizations, scholars, journalists, activists, and others around the world rely on these reports as an essential update on human rights conditions around the world – where we have seen progress, where progress has come too slowly or at great cost, and all too often, where it has been rolled back.

Our reports are founded on the simple truth at the heart of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – that all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights.  Respect for human rights is not a western construct or a uniquely American ideal; it is the foundation for peace and stability everywhere.  Universal human rights include the right of citizens to assemble peacefully and to seek to reform or change their governments, a central theme around the world in 2011.  As President Obama has said, “History offers a clear verdict: Governments that respect the will of their own people, that govern by consent and not coercion, are more prosperous, they are more stable, and more successful than governments that do not.”

In my travels around the world as Secretary of State, I have met many individuals who put their lives on the line to advance the cause of human rights and justice.  In ways small and large, they hold their governments accountable for upholding universal human rights.  Their courage and commitment to peaceful reform are an inspiration.  This report recognizes their bravery and should serve as a reminder: The United States stands with all those who seek to advance human dignity, and we will continue to shine the light of international attention on their efforts.

These reports are part of our broad commitment to promote human rights.  Every day, officials from the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and many other government agencies devote themselves to advancing human rights as a priority of U.S. foreign policy.  They champion our values in every country of the world and stand up for the inherent rights and freedoms of all people.  I am honored to work alongside them, and I thank them for their contributions to this report.

On behalf of all of them, and everyone around the world working to protect human rights, I hereby transmit the Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 to the United States Congress.

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

China (includes Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau)◎DoS（2012.05.25）

http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm#wrapper

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is an authoritarian state in which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) constitutionally is the paramount authority.  CCP members hold almost all top government, police, and military positions.  Ultimate authority rests with the 25-member Political Bureau (Politburo) of the CCP and its nine-member Standing Committee.  Hu Jintao holds the three most powerful positions as CCP general secretary, president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission.  Civilian authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces.

Deterioration in key aspects of the country’s human rights situation continued.  Repression and coercion, particularly against organizations and individuals involved in rights advocacy and public interest issues, were routine.  

Individuals and groups seen as politically sensitive by the authorities continued to face tight restrictions on their freedom to assemble, practice religion, and travel.  Efforts to silence political activists and public interest lawyers were stepped up, and, increasingly, authorities resorted to extralegal measures including enforced disappearance, “soft detention,” and strict house arrest, including house arrest of family members, to prevent the public voicing of independent opinions.  Public interest law firms that took on sensitive cases continued to face harassment, disbarment of legal staff, and closure.  The authorities increased attempts to limit freedom of speech and to control the press, the Internet, and Internet access.  The authorities continued severe cultural and religious repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and Tibetan areas.  Abuses peaked around high-profile events, such as the visit of foreign officials, sensitive anniversaries, and in response to Internet-based calls for “Jasmine Revolution” protests.

As in previous years, citizens did not have the right to change their government.  Other human rights problems during the year included: extrajudicial killings, including executions without due process; enforced disappearance and incommunicado detention, including prolonged illegal detentions at unofficial holding facilities known as “black jails”; torture and coerced confessions of prisoners; detention and harassment of lawyers, journalists, writers, dissidents, petitioners, and others who sought to peacefully exercise their rights under the law; a lack of due process in judicial proceedings; political control of courts and judges; closed trials; the use of administrative detention; restrictions on freedom to assemble, practice religion, and travel; failure to protect refugees and asylum seekers; pressure on other countries to forcibly return citizens to China; intense scrutiny of and restrictions on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); discrimination against women, minorities, and persons with disabilities; a coercive birth limitation policy that in some cases resulted in forced abortion or forced sterilization; trafficking in persons; prohibitions on independent unions and a lack of protection for workers’ right to strike; and the use of forced labor, including prison labor. Corruption remained widespread.

The authorities prosecuted a number of abuses of power, particularly with regard to corruption.  However, the internal disciplinary procedures of the CCP were opaque, and it was not clear whether human rights and administrative abuses were consistently punished.