VIDEO: CASTRO ON CHINA’S NEED TO SUPPORT HUMAN RIGHTS
Washington, D.C—Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) spoke in support of H. Res. 599, urging the Government of the People’s Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, religion, and all fundamental human rights of its citizens, in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations. The resolution passed by 379-1. Below is part of Rep. Castro’s remarks as delivered:
“Thank you Mr. Speaker, with no other speakers, I’d simply say, the worth of a nation is not measured in dollars and cents alone or by the size of the military or armaments. As China’s economy continues to grow into among the nations’ largest, so too should its commitment to human rights, democracy and transparency. We are proud to support this resolution”
Below are Congressman Castro’s opening remarks as prepared:
“Thank you for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 599, urging the Government of the People’s Republic of China to respect the freedom of assembly, expression, religion, and all fundamental human rights of its citizens, and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
I’d like to begin by thanking, Mr. Smith, for his leadership on this issue. I’d also like to thank Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, and the entire Foreign Affairs Committee for the bipartisan manner with which we continue to work to shed light upon the gross violation of human and political rights in China.
Mr. Speaker, next week we will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations, where hundreds of student protesters demanding political and economic reforms were murdered.
Today, the image of an unknown man standing in peaceful protest to government tanks rolling into Tiananmen Square are among the most iconic of the 20th century, and continue to serve as a source of inspiration to political and human rights advocates around the world.
Unfortunately, many in China will never know this sad chapter of Chinese history. The Communist Party of China is determined to erase all memory of the Tiananmen Square Massacre from national memory. The Chinese Government continues to block all uncensored Internet websites and blogs related to the events of June 3rd and 4th 1989, and willfully distributes misinformation to its people. Even today, Beijing continues to harass, arrest, and discriminate against the relatives and friends of those killed in Tiananmen Square.
But censorship of the Tiananmen Square Massacre is just the tip of the iceberg. The Chinese Government continues to suppress political dissent by imprisoning pro-democracy activists, lawyers, journalists, labor union leaders, religious believers, members of ethnic minority rights organizations, and other individuals who seek to express their political or religious views, or assert their ethnic identity.
According to a prisoner database maintained by the United States Congressional-Executive Commission on China, over 1,300 prisoners of conscience are being held at various “black jails,” where they are often tortured, forced into labor camps, or even killed.
Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 599 condemns the Chinese Government for its appalling human rights record, and calls for an end to the harassment, detention, torture, and imprisonment of Chinese citizens practicing their legitimate freedom of religion, expression, and association. It also calls on the Broadcasting Board of Governors to provide the people of China with information about the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important and timely resolution. and I reserve the balance of my time.”
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