U.S. House Members Urge Obama to Raise Human Rights in Talks with President Hu; ChinaAid's Bob Fu to Speak at Congressional News Conference in Advance of U.S.-China Summit
MIDLAND, Texas, Jan. 17, 2011 /
Christian Newswire/ -- Thirty-two members of Congress on Friday sent an open letter to President Obama urging him to raise China's "egregious human rights record" in his talks next week with visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. Meanwhile, Obama issued a presidential proclamation declaring Jan. 16 to be National Religious Freedom Day.
Also Friday, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) announced that ChinaAid founder and president Pastor Bob Fu would be joining other human rights crusaders and House members at a press conference next Tuesday to focus attention on China's human rights abuses on the first day of Hu's Jan. 18-21 visit.
Just as ChinaAid received news of the joint congressional letter to Obama, Fu got a message from Beijing that ailing rights activist Hu Jia, who is serving a three-year sentence for subverting state power because of his work on behalf of AIDS victims and environmental protection, collapsed on Friday during a prison visit with his wife and mother. He complained of severe abdominal pain and had to be sent to the prison hospital.
Hu's wife, Zeng Jinyan, said she appealed once again for Hu to be released for health reasons, but was again refused. He is seriously ill with liver disease and has 160 days left in his sentence.
Friday's open letter to Obama was a truly bipartisan endeavor that called on the president to raise "China's egregious human rights record …as a key issue in your discussions" with Hu during their meetings on Jan. 19 and 20.
"China touts its continued economic progress and integration into the world economy while refusing to acknowledge and uphold universal standards applicable to human rights. This was clearly manifest in the run-up to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony," the letter said.
It listed six specific issues that the signers wanted Obama to raise, including releasing all prisoners of conscience, recognizing and respecting the rights to freedom of speech and association, the need to implement and respect the rule of law, and the need to recognize and respect religious freedom.
