April 3 2008



PRESS RELEASE




Namibia's National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) joins other human rights groups worldwide and the international community at large in condemning the ongoing human rights violations by the Government of the People's Republic of China.



NSHR is particularly disturbed by the April 3 2008 jailing, by a Chinese court, of prominent civil rights activist Hu Jia (34) as well as Chinese gross human rights violations in Tibet. In a verdict condemned worldwide as unfair, the said court sentenced Hu to three years and six months in jail following specious charges of 'incitement to subvert state power'.



"This verdict is punishment for Hu Jia's public critiques of human rights violations in China and a warning to any other activists in China who dare to raise human rights concerns publicly", Amnesty International said in a statement.



The verdict against Hu also arrived amid growing international pressure brought to bear on the Chinese Government for its recent crackdown on critics in Tibet. The court ruling drew criticisms from the international community and human rights groups who accused China of having regularly used the subversion of state power charge as a tool to silence critics. Hu has extensively spoken out on a wide range of human rights issues in China, Tibet and on AIDS.



"The timing of Hu's imprisonment is not only clearly intended to persecute him for chronicling systematic human rights violations in China, but it is also aimed at silencing all other Government critics before the Olympic Games scheduled for August 2008 in Beijing. Specifically, Hu is jailed merely for publishing several articles inside and outside of China and for conducting interviews with the foreign press on Beijing's dismal human rights record", said NSHR executive director, Phil ya Nangoloh.



Beijing also accuses the venerated exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, of instigating the violence in his motherland. The Dalai Lama as well as hundreds of thousands of his country men and women has been in exile in for more than 50 years inter alia due to Chinese occupation of Tibet.



In light of the above situation, NSHR totally rejects the Government of Namibia's implied support for egregious human rights violations in both China and Tibet. In Press Release issued on March 31 2008 and in a clear reference to the human rights activities in the Himalayan kingdom, the Namibian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said:



"Namibia regards Tibet as an integral part of China and, therefore, condemns all secessionist activities and orchestrated acts of violence, which have been masterminded by the so-called Tibetan Government in Exile. In this connection, Namibia supports all legitimate measures by the Chinese government to curb unrest in Tibet and to ensure that the situation returns to complete normalcy. Namibia rejects attempts to make any linkage between the clearly orchestrated violent activities in Tibet with the Beijing Olympics and the politicization of the Games".


NSHR considers Hu and land rights activist Yang Chunlin as well as human rights defender Lu Gengsong as political prisoners and demands their immediate and unconditional release.



For further information please call: Phil ya Nangoloh or Dorkas Phillemon at Tel: +264 61 236 183 or +264 61 253 447 (during office hours) or Mobile: +264 811 299 886 (Phil) or E-mail: nshr@iafrica.com.na or visit National Society for Human Rights :: Tolerance - Liberty - Happiness