Harper stands firm on human rights in china

[Avro]

SHANGHAI, China–Rebounding after being brow-beaten by the Chinese premier for mishandling Sino-Canadian relations, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised an elite business gathering Friday that he would forge stronger ties with China and build bigger business opportunities through trade.
But the Prime Minister again made it clear: he and his government won't back off on human rights.

Toronto Star

Good for Harper!

 

[earth_as_one]

Harper is a hypocrite and anyone who believes Harper is consistent regarding human rights is misinformed.Harper has a record of remaining silent on human rights when it comes to the US, Israel and the case of Canadian Omar Khadr.China's human rights record is pretty bad, but they aren't responsible for starting an unprovoked war which killed about a million people like the US vs Iraq since 2003. While their criminal justice and prison system is harsh, I have never seen any pictures of Chinese guards piling up naked prisoners or hooking electricity up to prisoner's testicals or deliberately attacking prisoners with viscious dogs. (US - Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and elsewhere). I also never heard any reports of the Chinese putting innocent civilians in pits in front of tanks and artillery pieces, or dropping white phosphorus on densely populated urban areas and UN bomb shelters (Israel in the last year). Also, the Canadian government (under both the Liberals and Conservatives) are hardly in a position to criticize human rights abuses considering their complacency regarding 15 year old Canadian Omar Khadr's years of torture and ill treatment by the Americans in violation of international law regarding the treatment of children and child soldiers.It would be an improvement if the Harper government started defending the rights of Canadians abroad as vigorously as they criticize China's human rights record.
Where was Harper while these abuses were taking place?

 

[Colpy]

Harper is a hypocrite and anyone who believes Harper is consistent regarding human rights is misinformed.Harper has a record of remaining silent on human rights when it comes to the US, Israel and the case of Canadian Omar Khadr.China's human rights record is pretty bad, but they aren't responsible for starting an unprovoked war which killed about a million people like the US vs Iraq since 2003. While their criminal justice and prison system is harsh, I have never seen any pictures of Chinese guards piling up naked prisoners or hooking electricity up to prisoner's testicals or deliberately attacking prisoners with viscious dogs. (US - Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and elsewhere). I also never heard any reports of the Chinese putting innocent civilians in pits in front of tanks and artillery pieces, or dropping white phosphorus on densely populated urban areas and UN bomb shelters (Israel in the last year). Also, the Canadian government (under both the Liberals and Conservatives) are hardly in a position to criticize human rights abuses considering their complacency regarding 15 year old Canadian Omar Khadr's years of torture and ill treatment by the Americans in violation of international law regarding the treatment of children and child soldiers.It would be an improvement if the Harper government started defending the rights of Canadians abroad as vigorously as they criticize China's human rights record.
Where was Harper while these abuses were taking place?

You are WAYYYYY out of line.Way out.China admits to executing more people than the rest of the world combined. Actually, human rights organizations estimate that China actually murders 3 or 4 times the number they admit to killing. Often, the executed have their organs removed, in the case of kidneys....before the execution.China murdered thousands of peaceful protesters in Tianamen Square.....The same regime now in power in China is responsible for at least 40 million deaths, and perhaps as many as 70 million deaths.China uses slave labour.China has enslaved Tibet.China regularly imprisons religious leaders of any stripe, and persecutes unmercifully the Falun Gong......the leadership of whom they murdered in prison, claiming they died in "accidents".To compare China with the USA, Canada or Israel is simply ludicrous, and demonstrates just how far out you are.

 

[Colpy]

I was disgusted watching as the Chinese slapped Harper's wrosts....yeah, we need lectures from the world's biggest bunch of mass murderers.I'd have told the scumball to go piss in his hat, and been outta there!!!!!!!!!

 

[earth_as_one]

You are WAYYYYY out of line.Way out.China admits to executing more people than the rest of the world combined. Actually, human rights organizations estimate that China actually murders 3 or 4 times the number they admit to killing. Often, the executed have their organs removed, in the case of kidneys....before the execution.China murdered thousands of peaceful protesters in Tianamen Square.....The same regime now in power in China is responsible for at least 40 million deaths, and perhaps as many as 70 million deaths.China uses slave labour.China has enslaved Tibet.China regularly imprisons religious leaders of any stripe, and persecutes unmercifully the Falun Gong......the leadership of whom they murdered in prison, claiming they died in "accidents".To compare China with the USA, Canada or Israel is simply ludicrous, and demonstrates just how far out you are.

Here is what AI says:

China

The Olympic Games in Beijing brought heightened repression throughout the country as authorities tightened control over human rights defenders, religious practitioners, ethnic minorities, lawyers and journalists. Following protests and unrest which began in March in Lhasa the government originally detained over 1,000 people. Hundreds remained in detention or were unaccounted for at year’s end. The authorities used a series of violent incidents alleged to be linked to terrorists to launch a sweeping crackdown on the Uighur population in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR). Torture and other ill-treatment remained widespread. The authorities maintained tight control over the flow of information, with many internet websites blocked, and journalists and internet users harassed and imprisoned for the peaceful expression of opinions. The authorities made increased use of punitive forms of administrative detention, notably the Re-education through Labour system, to silence critics in the lead-up to the Olympic Games.

The rest here:
China | Amnesty International Report 2009

No doubt they have room for improvement. But so do many countries that Harper has never criticized. For example:

Israel

Israeli forces launched a military offensive on an unprecedented scale – code-named “Operation Cast Lead” – on 27 December in the Gaza Strip, killing many civilians and destroying homes and other civilian property. Earlier in the year there had been a marked upsurge in killings of civilians and others by both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) before a ceasefire was agreed in June (see Palestinian Authority entry). Some 70 children were among the 425 Palestinians killed in the first half of the year. In addition to the large-scale destruction of homes and property in the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces also destroyed scores of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and in Bedouin villages in the south of Israel. Throughout the year, the Israeli army maintained stringent restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the OPT, including a blockade on the Gaza Strip, which caused an unprecedented level of humanitarian hardship and virtually imprisoned the entire population of 1.5 million. This was further exacerbated by the Israeli offensive launched on 27 December. Hundreds of patients with serious medical conditions requiring treatment not available in local hospitals were refused passage out of Gaza; several died. Hundreds of students could not travel to their universities abroad because they could not leave Gaza, where many fields of study are not available. Most of Gaza’s inhabitants depended on international aid, but the Israeli blockade hampered the ability of UN agencies to provide assistance and services. In the West Bank the movement of Palestinians was severely curtailed by some 600 Israeli checkpoints and barriers, and by the 700km fence/wall which the Israeli army continued to build mostly inside the West Bank. The expansion of illegal Israeli settlements on seized Palestinian land increased to a level not seen since 2001. Israeli soldiers and settlers who committed serious abuses against Palestinians, including unlawful killings, assaults and attacks against property, enjoyed impunity in most cases. Hundreds of Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces; reports of torture and other ill-treatment were frequent, but investigations were rare. Some 8,000 Palestinians remained in Israeli prisons, many after unfair military trials.

The rest here:
Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories | Amnesty International Report 2009

Harper regarding Israel:

All of my life, Israel has been a symbol – a symbol of the triumph of hope and faith. After 1945, our battered world desperately needed to be lifted out of post-war darkness and despair. After so much pain and suffering, humanity needed comfort and optimism. After so much death and destruction, we needed renewal – the renewal of the dream of a better and more civilized world. In short, we needed to be inspired. It was the people who had suffered who most provided that inspiration. By their example, they led the world back to the light. From shattered Europe and other countries near and far, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made their way home. Their pilgrimage was the culmination of a two-thousand-year-old dream; it is a tribute to the unquenchable human aspiration for freedom, and a testament to the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people.

In the sixty years that followed, Israel blossomed into one of the most successful countries on earth; a land of ingenuity and enterprise, an oasis of agricultural genius, a wellspring of fine art and high culture, a model of democracy. Israel truly is the “miracle in the desert.”

But the source of Israel’s strength and success, in my view, is its commitment to the universal values of all civilized peoples: freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law....

Prime Minister of Canada: Prime Minister’s Speech for Israel’s 60th Anniversary

What a load of BS.

Harper is a hypocrite...

 

[earth_as_one]

Harper regarding Khadr:

Omar Khadr: Will Harper’s Appeal Succeed?

May 6th, 2009

by Kevin Tilley

On April 23, Justice O’Reilly of the Federal Court in Vancouver ordered the federal government to request the repatriation of Omar Khadr in Khadr v. Prime Minister of Canada 2009 FC 405. Following an earlier decision from the Supreme Court in Canada v. Khadr 2008 SCC 28 O’Reilly found that Canadian officials had been complicit in the detention, interrogation and mistreatment of Mr. Khadr, and thus, violated his rights under s.7 of the Charter....

The Court » Blog Archive » Omar Khadr: Will Harper’s Appeal Succeed?

Harper is a hypocrite.

 

[earth_as_one]

Harper regarding the torture of Afghan detainees:

Respected Canadian diplomat Richard Colvin, a highly credible source, told a House of Commons committee on Wednesday that all of the captives Canadian soldiers transferred to local authorities in 2006-2007 likely ended up being tortured. Colvin, who served in Afghanistan for 17 months, began sending warnings that this was happening in May 2006. He transmitted reports to senior members of the Canadian military including Lieutenant-General Michel Gauthier, who was then the commander of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, which oversees foreign deployments. Colvin told the committee that he believes that Gauthier would have relayed these highly disturbing warnings to General Rick Hillier, who was then the country's top soldier. Others who were alerted to Colvin's reports included: David Mulroney, former deputy minister of the Afghanistan Task Force in the Privy Council Office; and Margaret Bloodworth, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's national security advisor. This matter went right to the top.

It doesn't pass the laugh test that Hillier and Harper were not informed about these warnings...

To the torture charges, the Harper government's response is to deny, smear and bully | rabble.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he will not convene a public inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees captured by Canadian Forces in Afghanistan, despite a House of Commons resolution to do just that.

On Tuesday, as Mr. Harper was flying from Ottawa to Beijing, the House of Commons voted in favour of holding a judicial inquiry into how Afghan detainees were treated. The NDP motion, supported by the Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois, passed by a vote of 146 to 129.

In Beijing, Mr. Harper told reporters he has no intention of abiding by the wishes of the House....

Harper rejects Afghan detainee inquiry

When it comes to human rights, Harper is a hypocrite.

 

[earth_as_one]

I was disgusted watching as the Chinese slapped Harper's wrosts....yeah, we need lectures from the world's biggest bunch of mass murderers.I'd have told the scumball to go piss in his hat, and been outta there!!!!!!!!!

Canada's future depends on trade with emerging powers like China. Yes we should criticize their human rights record. But we should put their activities in perspective. China's leaders aren't war criminals like Bush:

The Bush led Iraq invasion:

On Friday, 14 September 2007, ORB (Opinion Research Business), an independent polling agency located in London, published estimates of the total war casualties in Iraq since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.[1] At over 1.2 million deaths (1,220,580), this estimate is the highest number published so far. From the poll margin of error of +/-2.5% ORB calculated a range of 733,158 to 1,446,063 deaths. The ORB estimate was performed by a random survey of 1,720 adults aged 18+, out of which 1,499 responded, in fifteen of the eighteen governorates within Iraq, between August 12 and August 19, 2007.[2][3] In comparison, the 2006 Lancet survey suggested almost half this number (654,965 deaths) through the end of June 2006. The Lancet authors calculated a range of 392,979 to 942,636 deaths.

On 28 January 2008, ORB published an update based on additional work carried out in rural areas of Iraq. Some 600 additional interviews were undertaken September 20 to 24, 2007. As a result of this the death estimate was revised to 1,033,000 with a given range of 946,000 to 1,120,000.[4][5]...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORB_survey_of_Iraq_War_casualties

A war justified by lies and misinformation. For the record, Harper regarding this war crime:

March 20, 2003

...Iraq's continued defiance of the community of nations presents a challenge which must be addressed. It is inherently dangerous to allow a country, such as Iraq, to retain weapons of mass destruction, particularly in light of its past aggressive behaviour. If the world community fails to disarm Iraq we fear that other rogue states will be encouraged to believe that they too can have these most deadly of weapons to systematically defy international resolutions and that the world will do nothing to stop them.

As the possession of weapons of mass destruction spreads, the danger of such weapons coming into the hands of terrorist groups will multiply, particularly given in this case the shameless association of Iraq with rogue non-state organizations....

http://www.thestar.com/federalelection/article/508758

For the record, at the time Harper made this speech, no evidence supported his statements about Iraq's WMDs and links to rogue non-state organizations. In fact the balance of evidence collected by UN weapon inspectors directly contradicted his statements about Iraq's alleged WMD threat:

7 MARCH 2003
UNMOVIC
Hans Blix
Security Council 7 March 2003

 

[Colpy]

How about, instead of endless cut n paste BS, you kick start your own cranial contents, and engage in some real debate.First of all, Israel was and is defending herself. Full stop.Secondly, Israel has, in 62 years of strife that has included numerous wars, killed less tha 100,000 most of them foreign military enemies, killed in war ...........China, in 60 years has murdered 50 million plus of its own people.I agree it is time Khadr was brought home, and I have some sympathy with the view of him as a child soldier........I do not view him as innocent.......nor do I feel Canada owes him any debt......Israel is an inspiration.........an island of sanity surrounded by enemies and lunatics......Your comparison of Israel and China is ludicrous.

 

[Colpy]

Canada's future depends on trade with emerging powers like China. Yes we should criticize their human rights record. But we should put their activities in perspective. China's leaders aren't war criminals like Bush:

RIGHT!The Chinese are merely the new emerging fascist super-power.I get such a kick out of the lefties, who complain that the Americans dealt with the Nazis BEFORE they caused 50 million deaths.......but encourage the world to kiss the arse of China AFTER they caused 50 million deaths.

 

[Said1]

They have sex shops now. I mean, what more could the people ask for?

 

[Liberalman]

The poor in Canada has less human rights.

When times are good human rights issues can be talked about but in these economic times where money is tights human rights has to take a back seat.

 

[AnnaG]

Harper is a hypocrite and anyone who believes Harper is consistent regarding human rights is misinformed.Harper has a record of remaining silent on human rights when it comes to the US, Israel and the case of Canadian Omar Khadr.

That may be.

China's human rights record is pretty bad, but they aren't responsible for starting an unprovoked war which killed about a million people like the US vs Iraq since 2003. While their criminal justice and prison system is harsh, I have never seen any pictures of Chinese guards piling up naked prisoners or hooking electricity up to prisoner's testicals or deliberately attacking prisoners with viscious dogs. (US - Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and elsewhere). I also never heard any reports of the Chinese putting innocent civilians in pits in front of tanks and artillery pieces, or dropping white phosphorus on densely populated urban areas and UN bomb shelters (Israel in the last year).

Funny, I've never heard of Canada doing that either, and Canada is the topic here, not the States.

Also, the Canadian government (under both the Liberals and Conservatives) are hardly in a position to criticize human rights abuses considering their complacency regarding 15 year old Canadian Omar Khadr's years of torture and ill treatment by the Americans in violation of international law regarding the treatment of children and child soldiers.It would be an improvement if the Harper government started defending the rights of Canadians abroad as vigorously as they criticize China's human rights record.

You seem to take delight in pointing out the numbers of Palestinians who have died in comparison to the Israelis that have died, so I will ask how many people have died at the hands of China in comparison to those at the hands of Canada.

Where was Harper while these abuses were taking place?

Where were you?

 

[AnnaG]

Harper is a hypocrite...

Who isn't?

 

[AnnaG]

Harper regarding Khadr:



Harper is a hypocrite.

Who isn't?

 

[AnnaG]

Canada's future depends on trade with emerging powers like China. Yes we should criticize their human rights record. But we should put their activities in perspective. China's leaders aren't war criminals like Bush:

So? Harpy isn't Bush.

For the record, at the time Harper made this speech, no evidence supported his statements about Iraq's WMDs and links to rogue non-state organizations. In fact the balance of evidence collected by UN weapon inspectors directly contradicted his statements about Iraq's alleged WMD threat:

7 MARCH 2003
UNMOVIC
Hans Blix
Security Council 7 March 2003

:roll: For the record, most people in North America were fooled by the American administration concerning Iraq. Want to blame that on the pinhead, too?

 

[earth_as_one]

SHANGHAI, China–Rebounding after being brow-beaten by the Chinese premier for mishandling Sino-Canadian relations, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised an elite business gathering Friday that he would forge stronger ties with China and build bigger business opportunities through trade.
But the Prime Minister again made it clear: he and his government won't back off on human rights.

Toronto Star

Good for Harper!

I've proven the bolded statement is complete rubbish.

Harper and his government consistently give the US and Israel a free pass on human rights. Currently Harper and his government are trying to cover up their role in the torture and abuse of Afghan detainees. Harper and his government aren't even capable of sticking up for the human rights of Canadians (Khadr is but one well known example).

Then the guy goes to China and claims he and his government "won't back off on human rights". BS!

Either you support human rights or you don't.

I saw part of Harper's speech, critical of the Chinese government human rights record, in front of a group of business leaders in Shanghai. It was ridiculous. Harper has about as much legitimacy criticizing another country for their human rights record as George "Texecutioner" Bush or Ariel "Butcher of Beruit" Sharon. Judging from the stony and icy expressions on the faces in the audience, I doubt they bought it. That speech was purely for domestic consumption and will have no impact on China. If Canada wants good trade relations with our second biggest trading partner, then we have to send trade delegations more than once or twice a decade. If Canada wants the Chinese to visit Canada during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, then Harper and his government should not have boycotted the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Harper is so ignorant about China/Canada relations, he didn't even bother to mention the contribution of Canadians to China like Dr. Norman Bethune:

Chinese still cherish memory of Norman Bethune
People's Daily Online -- Chinese still cherish memory of Norman Bethune

He should have contributed a statue of Bethune to China and unveiled it on the first day of his trip, setting a positive tone and gaining PR points.

Harper should have went to China in 2008 and established a friendly rapport with Chinese officials. On this recent trip, he should have publicly emphasized Canada's long relationship with China, the contributions of Chinese Canadians to Canada and promoted trade. He should have raised the issue of human rights in private and offered help. China's criminal justice system is a mess and they need reforms. He could have invited Chinese officials to Canada to see a functioning criminal justice system and witness Canada's diverse cultures living together peacefully.

Harper's performance in China was amaturish and embarassing.

Its time to get rid of Harper and his government and elect someone who is consistent regarding human rights and represents the interests of Canada, Canadian trade and Canadians.

 

[earth_as_one]

So? Harpy isn't Bush.

:roll: For the record, most people in North America were fooled by the American administration concerning Iraq. Want to blame that on the pinhead, too?

Harper either knowingly supported a war crime or he was too stupid to figure it out. Either way, it proves he's not qualified for the PM's job.

BTW, figuring it out wasn't that hard. All you had to do was read UNMOVIC's inspection reports. For example this report delivered just two weeks before the US invaded:
Security Council 7 March 2003

and understand the difference between definitive proof and unsubstantiated allegations.

I notice that the same people who supported the 2003 Iraq war crime also support Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity now. When are people going to wise up?

 

[TenPenny]

God, all the Chinese did was point out that Harper took a long time to go visit China. You can hardly argue that point.

 

[earth_as_one]

China is our second biggest trading partner. A visit once or twice a decade to publicly lecture them about human rights is insulting and dumb.