China: Human Rights and Status of Oppressed Groups
Premise: The evidence will support that the world-wide movement to protect the rights of oppressed groups has not reached nor affected China; indeed, there is strong resistance to correcting human rights abuses.
In the summer of 1989, Chinese students protested in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, facing off against government troops and tanks. From this event came an iconic image, of a man holding his shopping bags, facing off against a line of dozens of tanks and barring the way to the square and the protestors (Phelan). A lone man stood fearlessly in front of a tank, determined to stop their progress, and for a moment, the tanks stood still. For many, this image became the quintessential symbol …show more content…
China has long had a history of human rights abuses, and in the attempt to cover up their abuses, China works to silence their objectors by detaining and deporting dissenters. Recently, China has arrested several prominent human rights lawyers. Seven lawyers and their colleagues were detained for a length of six months before being placed officially under arrest. For Zhou Shifeng, a founder of a major law firm, the charges of state subversion carry a potential life sentence (Iyengar, “China Charges”). Another human rights lawyer recently arrested is Peter Dahlin, a Swedish citizen and co-founder of a human rights group. Dahlin and his Chinese girlfriend were detained for three weeks before being released (Lewis, “Deported from China”). Dahlin expressed concern after his release for his colleagues and friends who are still detained by the Chinese Government (Lewis, “Concerned Over Colleagues”). Sandy Phan-Gillis, a 55-year-old businesswoman has also been detained for being “suspected of engaging in activities that have harmed China’s national security,” according to the Foreign Ministry (Stein, 20). As of August 30, 2016, Chron.com reports that Phan-Gillis is still detained, and was indicted only this past July (Kriehl). In total, Amnesty International …show more content…
The image was taken by a member of the Western media, and had the photographer not been there to capture the events that day, the world wouldn’t have been aware of the treatment afforded to minorities and dissenters in China. The Chinese government has shown a consistent desire to cover up its actions and silence those that speak up against them. The treatment and handling of foreigners, religious minorities, homosexuals, women, and human rights lawyers demonstrates clearly that the Chinese government values conformity over individual rights, and will take any action necessary to cover up abuses and keep minorities and dissenters in line. Indeed, it was announced last April that the sole museum dedicated to the events that occurred in Tiananmen Square in 1989 will be forced to close by the end of the year due to “political pressure” (Jenkins, 1). While the curators and staffers of the museum search for a new location for the museum, it does beg the question – how long will China continue to seek to bury its dissenters and disenfranchise and disempower its
Premise: The evidence will support that the world-wide movement to protect the rights of oppressed groups has not reached nor affected China; indeed, there is strong resistance to correcting human rights abuses.
In the summer of 1989, Chinese students protested in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, facing off against government troops and tanks. From this event came an iconic image, of a man holding his shopping bags, facing off against a line of dozens of tanks and barring the way to the square and the protestors (Phelan). A lone man stood fearlessly in front of a tank, determined to stop their progress, and for a moment, the tanks stood still. For many, this image became the quintessential symbol …show more content…
China has long had a history of human rights abuses, and in the attempt to cover up their abuses, China works to silence their objectors by detaining and deporting dissenters. Recently, China has arrested several prominent human rights lawyers. Seven lawyers and their colleagues were detained for a length of six months before being placed officially under arrest. For Zhou Shifeng, a founder of a major law firm, the charges of state subversion carry a potential life sentence (Iyengar, “China Charges”). Another human rights lawyer recently arrested is Peter Dahlin, a Swedish citizen and co-founder of a human rights group. Dahlin and his Chinese girlfriend were detained for three weeks before being released (Lewis, “Deported from China”). Dahlin expressed concern after his release for his colleagues and friends who are still detained by the Chinese Government (Lewis, “Concerned Over Colleagues”). Sandy Phan-Gillis, a 55-year-old businesswoman has also been detained for being “suspected of engaging in activities that have harmed China’s national security,” according to the Foreign Ministry (Stein, 20). As of August 30, 2016, Chron.com reports that Phan-Gillis is still detained, and was indicted only this past July (Kriehl). In total, Amnesty International …show more content…
The image was taken by a member of the Western media, and had the photographer not been there to capture the events that day, the world wouldn’t have been aware of the treatment afforded to minorities and dissenters in China. The Chinese government has shown a consistent desire to cover up its actions and silence those that speak up against them. The treatment and handling of foreigners, religious minorities, homosexuals, women, and human rights lawyers demonstrates clearly that the Chinese government values conformity over individual rights, and will take any action necessary to cover up abuses and keep minorities and dissenters in line. Indeed, it was announced last April that the sole museum dedicated to the events that occurred in Tiananmen Square in 1989 will be forced to close by the end of the year due to “political pressure” (Jenkins, 1). While the curators and staffers of the museum search for a new location for the museum, it does beg the question – how long will China continue to seek to bury its dissenters and disenfranchise and disempower its