CONTACT THE FOREIGN SECRETARY ABOUT TORTURE IN TIBET

The next “UK-China Human Rights Dialogue” is due to take place in a few weeks’ time.

The dialogue is a meeting which normally takes place twice a year in which the UK raises human rights concerns directly with China’s government. The next meeting follows China’s review last November by the Committee Against Torture at the United Nations which found that “the practice of torture and ill-treatment is still deeply entrenched in the criminal justice system” in China and Tibet.

China’s response was simply to claim that torture is not allowed. China’s government has proved that it is unwilling to meet its obligations to end torture under international law. The UK government rarely speaks up strongly on behalf of human rights in Tibet. This is an opportunity for the United Kingdom to add to the pressure put on China by the UN and press for action.