surveillance
surveillance during UN human rights visit
"Isn’t it paradoxical that a human rights commission’s visit
causes more human rights violations?" – Liu Di
hypocrisy of the Chinese authorities" in putting Liu Di, a young
Internet user who was imprisoned for a year in 2002-2003, and Liu
Xiaobo, a leading figure in the Chinese pro-democracy movement, under
surveillance on 29 August while receiving a visit from Louise Arbour,
the UN high commissioner for human rights.
"This incident shows how Beijing views dialogue with the United
Nations – as a masquerade in which they try to put on a show of
conforming to standards while refusing to make the least real
commitment on human rights," the press freedom organisation
said.
"For fear of upsetting their hosts’ susceptibilities, many foreign
officials visiting China limit themselves to formulaic statements that
are too restrained to be effective. We hope the high commissioner will
adopt a firm stance on China, which is the world’s biggest prison
for journalist and cyber-dissidents," Reporters Without Borders
added.
On 29 August, the police told Liu Di not to leave her home until
further notice and three policemen were later posted outside her home.
"Many people are being forced to stay at home during Louise
Arbour’s visit, in violation of their civil rights," she said.
"Isn’t it paradoxical that a human rights commission’s visit
causes more human rights violations?"
Liu Di was arrested in November 2002 because of essays and articles
posted on online discussion forums under the pseudonym of the
Stainless Steel Rat. She was secretly held for more than a year
without being tried.<!–
D(["mb","
\r\n
\r\nAt least five policemen were posted outside Liu Xiaobo\’s home on 29\r\nAugust and, although allowed to leave his home, he was followed\r\neverywhere. When he asked the police if they had an official document\r\nauthorising this surveillance, they refused to reply. The surveillance\r\nwas "completely illegal," he said.
\r\n
\r\nAn impassioned human rights advocate, Liu Xiaobo was placed under\r\nhouse arrest during the anniversary of the Tienanmen Square massacre\r\nlast June. A former Beijing university professor and president of the\r\nIndependent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC), he received the Reporters\r\nWithout Borders prize for the defence of free expression in December\r\n2004.
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\nDeux cyberdissidents mis sous surveillance pendant la visite du\r\nhaut-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l\’homme
\r\n
\r\n"N\’est-il pas paradoxal que la visite d\’une commission\r\nspécialisée dans les droits de l\’homme provoque de nouvelles\r\nd\’atteintes aux droits de l\’homme?", Liu Di
\r\n
\r\nLiu Di, une jeune internaute emprisonnée pendant un an, entre\r\n2002 et 2003, et Liu Xiaobo, une figure du mouvement réformateur\r\nchinois, ont été placés sous surveillance policière, le 29\r\naoût 2005, pendant la visite en Chine de Louise Arbour,\r\nhaut-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l\’homme. "Nous\r\nsommes écoeurés par l\’hypocrisie affichée par les autorités\r\nchinoises lors de ces rencontres internationales", a déclaré\r\nReporters sans frontières.
\r\n
\r\n"Cet incident montre bien la manière dont Pékin conçoit le\r\ndialogue avec les Nations unies : une mascarade pendant laquelle ils\r\ntentent de montrer patte blanche tout en refusant le moindre\r\nengagement en matière de droits de l\’homme. De peur de froisser la\r\nsusceptibilité chinoise, beaucoup de responsables politiques\r\nétrangers en visite dans le pays se contentent de déclarations\r\nprotocolaires trop édulcorées pour être efficaces. Nous\r\nespérons que le haut-commissaire saura adopter une position ferme\r\nvis-à-vis de ce pays, plus grande prison du monde pour les\r\njournalistes et les cyberdissidents", a ajouté\r\nl\’organisation.”,1]
);
//–>
At least five policemen were posted outside Liu Xiaobo’s home on 29
August and, although allowed to leave his home, he was followed
everywhere. When he asked the police if they had an official document
authorising this surveillance, they refused to reply. The surveillance
was "completely illegal," he said.
An impassioned human rights advocate, Liu Xiaobo was placed under
house arrest during the anniversary of the Tienanmen Square massacre
last June. A former Beijing university professor and president of the
Independent Chinese PEN Centre (ICPC), he received the Reporters
Without Borders prize for the defence of free expression in December
2004.
Yan Sham-Shackleton Online 
Yan,
I was hoping you’d have some comments about the tragedy in New Orleans. Thousands of Americans have been killed in a natural disaster.
Please give to the Red Cross.
https://secure2.convio.net/arc/site/Donation?ACTION=SHOW_DONATION_OPTIONS&CAMPAIGN_ID=1161&JServSessionIdr010=c2dcz4jml1.app9b
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tragedy in new orleans? watching it from here, its absolutely sickening that a country that has the ability to wage high tech remote controlled war in afghanistan and iran cannot evacute a few hundred thousand of its citizens from a disaster zone. poor, black and vote for the democrats? well, wait a week till we bus you out. It’s crazy.
Even disregarding such theories aside, it still seems insane. They’re calling it a mad max scenario here. nothing could convey the level of social/racial segregation in the US more than the week of images from New Orleans.
happy to give money to help- yes. but doesn’t something seem slightly askew here? what’s the most powerful/richest government in the world doing dithering when people are dying bcs there are no buses to take them to shelter?
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Perhaps the UN envoy was being sarcastic. “The United Nation’s human rights chief, Louise Arbour, has said she is “guardedly optimistic” that China is making progress on human rights.” (From the BBC). Optimistic that China’s human rights activists are well-guarded, perhaps?
I note that the US is receiving aid and offers of aid on an unprecedented scale. Bush is downplaying it, saying (hinting?) that the US might accept cash dollars but would otherwise get out of this on it’s own. I can’t see what good aid would do when 30,000 police and military can’t get 100,000 people out of a city the size of New Orleans. The reports of armed gangs and shooting at rescue helicoters sound like rumours to me, I have seen no evidence to back them up except for one night-time video where 5 shots were fired from an unknown source (could as easily have been police. This “mismanagement” throws Iraq into a new light. Either the US administration is completely incompetent, or they have a plan.
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Five shots fired at night in New Orleans? Isn’t that like a normal Wednesday?
I agree with Nish, who says black people’s lives do not motivate the government the same if the Hamptons was flooded.
I agree with Bush who says the truth is it’s the size of Great Britain that’s affected and therefore quite impossible to organize.
New Orleans is one of the most dangerous cities in America, rapes, robbing and looting is pretty routine so of course with all those criminals already they are just going to take advantage of the situation.
You know… what I think?
America is wild. It’s this crazy country. I think people forget because Hollywood that the US is still this cow boy and Indian country, huge tracks of it is more third world than first world, and that’s why there are suburbs and gated communities. To get away from how scary it is. Just like places like Manilla, Columbo, etc. etc.
American is more Latin America it is Europe, the infrastruture of the country isn’t that great, and even in the richest parts (California) when there are disasters it ALWAYS takes too long, look at the earthquakes.
None of this suprize me. I think maybe I should feel more outrage but I think by saying there are conspirarcies in this world gives far too much credit to far too many people. People are far more incompetent that we allow them to be.
Yan
And in the most selfish of way. I hate myself for not visiting New Orleans before the Hurricane, it was always somewhere I wanted to go, and now it’s not going to be same. The home of creole food, brassy jazz and Billie Holiday.
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Strangely, I saw scenes of the French quarter, completely unaffected, not looted, just entirely deserted.
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