IFJ urges Chinese Government to ratify ICCPR

 

Media Release: China                                               

March 25, 2013          

 

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) supports the call of Chinese citizens urging the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in China to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in order to protect and promote freedom of the press.

 

China signed the ICCPR fourteen years ago, but has still not ratified the Covenant.

 

We urge the Central Committee to ratify the ICCPR, a key international human rights treaty, which together with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), are considered the International Bill of Human Rights.

 

The ICCPR will obligate China to protect and preserve basic human rights such as the right to life and to human dignity, equality before the law, freedom of speech, assembly and association, religious freedom and privacy and freedom from torture, among others.

 

More than eight hundred Chinese from all walks of life, living locally and internationally, have signed the joint statement.

 

“China has a responsibility to uphold and ratify the ICCPR, especially as one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council” IFJ Asia-Pacific Office said. Ratification of the ICCPR is one of the most basic requirements to display a commitment to protecting human rights.

 

We urge Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in China, and all members of the Committee to hear the voices demanding ratification of the ICCPR as soon as possible.

 

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0950 

 

The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries

 

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