In support of the Country-Specific Resolution introduced by the United States in order to address human rights violations in China, A Woman's Voice International held a parallel meeting which provided examples to this year's 53 Member States and to Observers of recent attacks by the Chinese government and arrests of several Christian leaders. In particular, Chinese security recently arrested Mr. Liu Fenggang, Dr. Xu Yonghai, and Mr. Zhang Shengqi who had revealed the destruction of 100's of unregistered churches. Convicted on March 16, 2004, in a closed-door trial by the Intermediate Court of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, the outlook for their release is bleak. On June 26, 2003, over 100 police and other government agents dismantled and destroyed the 70 year old Tudusha Church in Xiaoshan City, Zheijiang Province, dragging out over 300 believers who had gathered to pray, beating, and arresting a number of them.

The dire condition of Pastor Gong Shengliang, jailed leader of the South China Church, was also brought before Member States and other U.N. mechanisms. "We join many other NGOs in deploring the Chinese police and prison guard's use of sexual assault to extract testimony from female parishioners in order to trump up charges against Pastor Gong," said Ann Buwalda, representative of A Woman's Voice International.

During the Parallel meeting, secretly video-taped testimony of these abused women was shown in a parallel meeting. Each lady described in detail the physical violence she suffered at the hands of the Secret Police and jailers in their effort to extort out false statements-obtained in order to convict Pastor Gong of crimes he did not commit. Also during this parallel meeting, participants presented startling testimony exposing torture and gross abuse of Christian leaders imprisoned in China.



HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA:

Throughout our participation at the Human Rights Commission session, A Woman's Voice International delegates spent significant effort to support the passage of a Resolution condemning human rights violations in North Korea. For the second year, the European Union introduced this Resolution which offers a step-forward in initiating U.N. monitoring of conditions within the Democratic People's Republic of Korea through appointment of a Special Rapporteur. (Read Resolution). Over the years, the role of Special Rapporteurs to investigate violations of human rights and to engage specific governments perpetrating or permitting violations have become more significant. Some experts believe that the appointment of a Special Rapporteur specific to the DPRK will pressure that reclusive communist government to make concessions to the U.N. in other programs such as the World Food Program's efforts to increase and improve monitoring cooperation.

In close cooperation with several other non-governmental organizations, A Woman's Voice International conducted a second parallel meeting during which a North Korean defector, Won Cheol Kang, (pictured here on left) described his journey to escape and come to freedom in South Korea, including his capture and refoulement by China back to the DPRK where he spent three months in the Nongpo Detention Centre in Chungjin City and during which eleven other prisoners died during his internment there. Professor Manho Heo from Kyungpook National University, South Korea, (pictured here on right) described the historic use of labor camps by the DPRK as well as evidence of biological experimentation on prisoners. Olenka Frenkiel, reporter with the BBC, gave an overview of the evidence of chemical testing on prisoners which she had obtained and aired during the BBC broadcast in February 2004 of her documentary entitled "Access to Evil." She also noted more recently discovered evidence of biological experimentation on prisoners in the DPRK.

A Woman's Voice International representatives also raised the plight of North Korean women refugees in China who have been subjected to cruel exploitation and trafficking. In her address to the Commission, Sue Yoon-Logan (pictured here) said, "Chinese authorities have been found to prosecute humanitarian aid workers under its human trafficking laws, simply for providing safe-haven to North Korean refugees in China. However, Chinese authorities fail to prosecute the real perpetrators who traffic women and force them into depraved and inhumane situations.".

Later, Professor Jae Won, (pictured below) also addressed the Commission and provided factual evidence for the conclusion that China is systematically eradicating any infrastructure of humanitarian relief on its side of the border. China offers substantial bounty money on the head of displaced North Koreans and considerably more for capturing aid workers. Consequently, China has arrested scores of monitors and humanitarian workers. Reportedly from eyewitnesses, in January 2000, China permitted DPRK agents to seize Rev. Kim, Dong-Shik in the Yanbian Province and then allowed them to transport this South Korean national and United States permanent resident into North Korea where he has not been heard from since. "The Chinese solution to its refugee problem is to eliminate its refugee population in a campaign to cleanse all North Koreans and remove the embarrassment," Professor Won told the Commission.

In addition to delivering four interventions under four agenda items, A Woman's Voice International representatives joined other non-governmental organizations in distributing substantial documentary evidence in personal meetings to all diplomats, which clearly and irrefutably demonstrated the DPRK's gross violations of human rights. These efforts bore fruit when this year's Commission voted to approve the resolution, including calling for the appointment of a Special Rapporteur.