Invocation of Terrorism and SCO Cooperation in Response to Question about Freedom of Travel Raises Serious Human Rights Concerns

On May 5, at a regular
press briefing in the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), a reporter
asked MFA spokeswoman Jiang Yu to verify whether it was true, as reported, that
China pressured Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan into preventing individuals from going
to the United States to attend a conference. Instead of commenting on that specific
incident – she said she had not seen the reports – she responded by raising
the issue of terrorism, stating that terrorism is a threat to China and to Central
Asian states, and then discussing at length the imperative of anti-terrorism
cooperation among China and Central Asian states under the rubric of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO).

The incident referred to in the question was the
obstruction by Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan of the travel of Uyghur activists
from those states to Washington, D.C., to attend a conference on Uyghur rights
that included civil society representatives and distinguished guest speakers,
including U.S. Congressmen.

In answering a separate question about China’s anti-terrorism policy, Jiang
singled out ethnic Uyghurs in China, by referring to the forces that aimed at
“splitting up China” and emphasizing the need for the international community
to strike against “‘East Turkestan’ terrorist forces.” (HRIC’s
English translation of the questions to and responses of MFA Spokesperson
Jiang Yu is provided below.)

The MFA representative took a question about Uyghur individuals being prevented
from attending a conference titled “The Future of Uyghur People in East Turkestan,”
and gave an answer about terrorism in the region. This response raises serious
concerns about whom the Chinese authorities consider to be terrorists, and about
the counter-terrorism policies of China and the other five SCO member states.

Human Rights in China (HRIC) is particularly concerned about
the following aspects of the MFA statement:

• Invocation of terrorism in the context of a peaceful conference concerning
  Uyghurs suggests an approach to counter-terrorism that undermines the principle
  of non-discrimination, and compromises fundamental rights and freedoms of
  ethnic groups.
• Jiang’s discussion of counter-terrorism cooperation within the SCO suggests
  that the Chinese government views the SCO as highly relevant to and involved
  in the actions of the Central Asian states. She highlighted the SCO’s goal
  of “combating the ‘Three Forces’” of terrorism, separatism, and extremism,
  which HRIC has identified in its whitepaper Counter-Terrorism
  and Human Rights: The Impact of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
  as an overbroad and problematic approach to counter-terrorism. She also stressed
  two SCO conventions that, as discussed in HRIC’s whitepaper, have significant
  potential to compromise human rights due to their expansive concepts of targeted
  behavior and other questionable provisions.
• Jiang emphasized security cooperation within the SCO, in the context of
  “mega-events,” such as the Beijing Olympics, as well as anti-terrorism exercises.
  As HRIC detailed in 2008, however, security for the Beijing Olympic Games
  included crackdowns on human rights defenders, massive surveillance operations,
  and restrictions on peaceful dissent.¹
  This approach – deemed a success by
  the Chinese government – is now being exported regionally to other SCO member
  states.

Additionally, as tracked in HRIC’s whitepaper, the SCO’s anti-terrorism
exercises appear primarily designed to enforce social stability within regions
where discontent over government policies is widespread, and to send a chilling
message to ethnic groups. For example, SCO military and law enforcement exercises
are regularly held within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, such as the
“Tianshan 2” exercise that took place on May 6 in the city of Kashgar.

• In Jiang’s discussion of the SCO’s international counter-terrorism cooperation
  and reference to regional frameworks, HRIC notes the conspicuous absence of
  any reference to the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which was adopted
  by the UN General Assembly in 2006. This international framework emphasizes
  “respect for human rights for all and the rule of law as the fundamental basis
  of the fight against terrorism.”

In the lead-up to the tenth anniversary meeting of the Council of SCO Heads
of State on June 15, 2011, HRIC urges the SCO and its member states
to undertake a thorough assessment of their compliance with international human
rights obligations, particularly those that apply to counter-terrorism measures.
This assessment should include consideration of the analysis and concrete recommendations
of HRIC’s whitepaper, specifically, the recommendations regarding best practices
in countering terrorism and best practices for intelligence cooperation advanced
by the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism. HRIC further urges the SCO
and its member states, as a matter of priority, to evaluate conformity of their
counter-terrorism measures with the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and
address all inconsistencies.

For more information on the human rights impact of the SCO,
see:

• “SCO Member States Kazakhstan
  and Kyrgyzstan Prevent Uyghur Activists from Attending Conference in United
  States,” May 4, 2011
• “Compromise of Human Rights
  Under Cover of Counter-Terrorism – Human Rights in China Releases a Whitepaper
  on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,” March 30, 2011
• Counter-Terrorism
  and Human Rights: The Impact of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization
  (2011)
• HRIC
  Commentary: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): Gao Wenqian, Sarah
  McKune and Sharon Hom Discuss HRIC Whitepaper, April 12, 2011

For more information on the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy,
see:

• United Nations, UN
  Action to Counter Terrorism: United Nations General Assembly Adopts Global
  Counter-Terrorism Strategy