Excerpted from Kyodo Times:
The 275-page report, released by the New York-based group Human Rights in China and titled State Secrets: China's Legal Labyrinth, says the Chinese government uses the state secrets system for a dual purpose.
"The state secrets system is used as both a shield – classifying a broad range of information and keeping it from the public view, and a sword – using it as a means to crack down on individuals who are critical of the government," the report says.
"China's pace of economic expansion is not sustainable," Sharon Hom, HRIC executive director, told Kyodo News via e-mail. "Official figures on GNP cannot be trusted because of the lack of transparency in a system dominated by state secrets."
She said China's state secrets system raises particular concerns because of the scope of information covered, the arbitrary nature of classifying state secrets and the lack of judicial review.
...
"While the challenge to balancing national security and individual rights is not unique to China, protecting national security can never be an excuse for cracking down on peaceful expression or endangering public safety," Hom said.
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For more information on this issue:
- HRIC Report:
State Secrets: China's Legal Labyrinth - HRIC Press Release:
HRIC Report Details State Secrets System - China Rights Forum, No.2 2007:
Legal Reform and Accountability - HRIC Trends Bulletin:
Setback for the Rule of Law – Lawyers Under Attack in China - China Rights Forum, No.2 2005:
Law and Justice - China Rights Forum, No.2 2003:
Rule of Law