[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 97 (Monday, July 24, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H6724-H6726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING RELEASE OF RABIYA KADEER, HER
SECRETARY AND SON BY GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur
in the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 81) expressing the
sense of the Congress that the Government of the People's Republic of
China should immediately release Rabiya Kadeer, her secretary, and her
son, and permit them to move to the United States if they so desire.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. Con. Res. 81
Whereas Rabiya Kadeer, a prominent ethnic Uighur from the
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR) of the People's
Republic of China, her secretary, and her son were arrested
on August 11, 1999, in the city of Urumqi;
Whereas Rabiya Kadeer's arrest occurred outside the Yindu
Hotel in Urumqi as she was attempting to meet a group of
congressional staff staying at the Yindu Hotel as part of an
official visit to China organized under the auspices of the
Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Program of the
United States Information Agency;
Whereas Rabiya Kadeer's husband Sidik Rouzi, who has lived
in the United States since 1996 and works for Radio Free
Asia, has been critical of the policies of the People's
Republic of China toward Uighurs in Xinjiang;
Whereas Rabiya Kadeer was sentenced on March 10 to 8 years
in prison ``with deprivation of political rights for two
years'' for the crime of ``illegally giving state information
across the border'';
Whereas the Urumqi Evening Paper of March 12 reported
Rabiya Kadeer's case as follows: ``The court investigated the
following: The defendant Rabiya Kadeer, following the request
of her husband, Sidik Haji, who has settled in America,
indirectly bought a collection of the Kashgar Paper dated
from 1995-1998, 27 months, and some copies of the Xinjiang
Legal Paper and on 17 June 1999 sent them by post to Sidik
Haji. These were found by the customs. During July and August
1999 defendant Rabiya Kadeer gave copies of the Ili Paper and
Ili Evening Paper collected by others to Mohammed Hashem to
keep. Defendant Rabiya Kadeer sent these to Sidik Haji. Some
of these papers contained the speeches of leaders of
different levels; speeches about the strength of
rectification of public safety, news of political legal
organisations striking against national separatists and
terrorist activities etc. The papers sent were marked and
folded at relevant articles. As well as this, on 11 August
that year, defendant Rabiya Kadeer, following her husband's
phone commands, took a previously prepared list of people who
had been handled by judicial organisations, with her to
Kumush Astana Hotel [Yingdu Hotel] where she was to meet a
foreigner'';
Whereas reports indicate that Ablikim Abdyirim was sent to
a labor camp on November 26 for 2 years without trial for
``supporting Uighur separatism,'' and Rabiya Kadeer's
secretary was recently sentenced to 3 years in a labor camp;
Whereas Rabiya Kadeer has 5 children, 3 sisters, and a
brother living in the United States, in addition to her
husband, and Kadeer has expressed a desire to move to the
United States;
Whereas the People's Republic of China stripped Rabiya
Kadeer of her passport long before her arrest;
Whereas reports indicate that Kadeer's health may be at
risk;
Whereas the People's Republic of China signed the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on
October 5, 1998;
Whereas that Covenant requires signatory countries to
guarantee their citizens the right to legal recourse when
their rights have been violated, the right to liberty and
freedom of movement, the right to presumption of innocence
until guilt is proven, the right to appeal a conviction,
freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, freedom of
opinion and expression, and freedom of assembly and
association;
Whereas that Covenant forbids torture, inhuman or degrading
treatment, and arbitrary arrest and detention;
Whereas the first Optional Protocol to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights enables the Human
Rights Committee, set up under that Covenant, to receive and
consider communications from individuals claiming to be
victims of violations of any of the rights set forth in the
Covenant; and
Whereas in signing that Covenant on behalf of the People's
Republic of China, Ambassador Qin Huasun, Permanent
Representative of the People's Republic of China to the
United Nations, said the following: ``To realize human rights
is the aspiration of all humanity. It is also a goal that the
Chinese Government has long been striving for. We believe
that the universality of human rights should be respected . .
. As a member state of the United Nations, China has always
actively participated in the activities of the organization
in the field of human rights. It attaches importance to its
cooperation with agencies concerned in the U.N. system . .
.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That Congress calls on the Government of the
People's Republic of China--
(1) immediately to release Rabiya Kadeer, her secretary,
and her son; and
(2) to permit Kadeer, her secretary, and her son to move to
the United States, if they so desire.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) and the gentleman from
California (Mr. Sherman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter).
General Leave
Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on S. Con. Res. 81.
[[Page H6725]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Nebraska?
There was no objection.
Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
(Mr. BEREUTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, this Member stands in strong support of
Senate Concurrent Resolution 81, which was introduced by the senior
senator from Delaware, Senator William Roth, and approved by the Senate
on May 2.
On June 27, S. Con. Res. 81 was approved by the Subcommittee on Asia
and the Pacific, which this Member chairs, and was subsequently
approved unanimously by the Committee on International Relations on
June 29.
The resolution expresses the sense of the Congress that the People's
Republic of China, PRC, should immediately release Rabiya Kadeer, her
secretary, and her son, and allow them to move to the United States if
they so desire.
Rabiya Kadeer is a prominent ethnic Uigher from China, who was
arrested as she was attempting to meet a congressional staff delegation
visiting Urumqi as part of an official visit to China organized under
the auspices of the Mutual Education and Cultural Exchange Program of
the U.S. Information Agency.
Subsequently, on March 10 of this year, Rabiya Kadeer was sentenced
to 8 years in prison for the crime of ``illegally giving state
information across the border.'' Previously, her son was sent to a
labor camp for 2 years in November of 1999 for supporting Uighur
separatism and her secretary was recently sentenced to 3 years in a
labor camp. In Ms. Kadeer's case, the so-called ``state information''
appears to have consisted essentially of a collection of publicly
available Chinese newspaper articles and speeches and a list of
prisoners.
As the resolution notes, this case appears to constitute a clear
violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The Chinese Government's action in this case has been reprehensible and
must be reversed. This resolution makes clear the strong sense of the
Congress that Ms. Kadeer should be immediately released and allowed to
join her family in the United States.
Madam Speaker, approving S. Con. Res. 81 sends a strong message that
while this body approves of improved trade relations, we are,
nonetheless, mindful of the serious human rights problems that exist
within the People's Republic of China.
This is an entirely appropriate message to send, for the United
States cannot turn a blind eye to the abuses that continue to exist in
the PRC.
Madam Speaker, this Member urges adoption of S. Con. Res. 81.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution and
commend the chairman of the Committee on International Relations (Mr.
Gilman); the chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, my
colleague here, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter); and the
ranking Democratic members, the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr.
Gejdenson) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), for their
strong support.
The subject of this resolution is Rabiya Kadeer, who is well-known as
a Uighur businesswoman and known throughout China as ``the millionaire
woman of Xinjiang.'' She is also a philanthropist of many programs
designed to improve the lives of Uighur women and children.
Her work led to her election as a member of a nationwide advisory
body of the Chinese government from 1993 through 1997, and as a
delegate to the United Nations Women's Conference in 1995. She has
helped many Uighur women start businesses, and she has established
English language classes for Uighur teenagers, several of whom she has
sent to the United States for schooling.
Rabiya Kadeer's husband, who is of Uighur descent, fled to the United
States in 1996, and she was stripped of her government position when
she refused to criticize him. Kadeer was arrested last year on her way
to meet with congressional staff members, charged with providing
information to foreigners, and sentenced to 8 years in prison.
As my colleague from Nebraska pointed out, these charges were without
merit. Unfortunately, it appears that Kadeer's real crime is that her
husband now works for Radio Free Asia and he has been critical of the
policies of the PRC toward Uighurs in Xinjiang. This situation is all
the more troubling because Kadeer has five children and three sisters
living in the United States in addition to her husband.
This resolution before the House today calls on the Chinese to
release Rabiya Kadeer, as well as her son, and secretary, arrested at
the same time, and allow them to come to the United States.
It is with regret that I note that this House passed a provision
giving the People's Republic of China most favored nation status on a
permanent basis, so the Chinese are free to ignore this resolution,
without the slightest risk of losing a single penny of trade benefits
with the United States, where they enjoy the largest trade surplus and
one of the most lopsided trading relationships that one can imagine.
So although I doubt this resolution will have much effect, given the
fact that we have cut ourselves off from any way of really pressuring
the Chinese government, it is the least we could do.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support Senate Concurrent
Resolution 81.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, I urge support for the resolution.
Mr. LANTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of S. Con.
Res. 81, a resolution urging the Government of the People's Republic of
China to release immediately and unconditionally the prominent Uighur
businesswoman, Ms. Rebiya Kadeer.
Madam Speaker, as co-chair of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus I
have repeatedly voiced my deepest concern regarding Ms. Kadeer to the
Chinese Government. Ms. Kadeer was detained by Chinese security forces
in Urumqi, Xinjiang Province on August 11, 1999. A particularly
disturbing circumstance is the fact that shortly before her arrest, her
husband, Mr. Sidick Rozi, had testified to Members of Congress before
the Congressional Human Rights Caucus on July 15, 1999, regarding human
rights violations in Western China.
As a prominent businesswoman, Ms. Kadeer is well known and respected
in the United States. Her efforts to promote business enterprises by
Uighur women have been recognized by Chinese authorities as
contributing to the overall economic and social development of the
Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Until 1998, she even served as an
elected official in the Provincial People's Political Consultative
Congress.
On September 2, 1999, however, according to press reports she was
charged with the serious crime of ``illegally offering state secrets
across the border.'' Ms. Kadeer was detained on August 11, 1999, while
on her way to meet with a U.S. congressional staff delegation, whom she
intended to give information about political prisoners in Xinjiang. She
was convicted under Article 111 of the Chinese Criminal Law. According
to Radio Free Asia, neither Kadeer nor her lawyer were allowed to speak
at her trial.
Chinese officials never produced evidence of criminal wrongdoing
against Ms. Kadeer. She was nonetheless sentenced to 8 years in prison
in a secret trial at the Urumqi City Intermediate People's Court in the
capital of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. In addition,
according to information we have received, she is currently detained at
Liudaowan jail, a jail notorious for mistreatment of prisoners.
In addition to Ms. Kadeer, her son, Ablikim Abyirim, and her
secretary, Kahriman Abdukirim, were also detained in August and were
administratively sentenced to 2- and 3-year terms, respectively, on
November 26, 1999. They are currently being held at the Walabai
Reeducation Through Labor School.
Madam Speaker, the trial and the totally fabricated charges brought
against Ms. Kadeer, her son, and her secretary are blatant violations
of international judicial standards. As the other body prepares to
consider PNTR for the Peoples Republic of China, it is my hope that our
colleagues keep these outrageous human rights violations in mind. The
Economist reports that China executed three Uighurs as recently as the
first week of July of this year, and the harassment and the crackdown
against Tibetans, the Falun Gong, and political dissidents continues
unabated.
[[Page H6726]]
Madam Speaker, it is high time to send the PRC a clear message. The
resolution before the House sends a clear message. I urge my colleagues
to support it.
Mr. PORTER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution
and join with my colleague in urging the Chinese authorities to release
from Rebiya Kadeer, her secretary and her son, and permit them to move
to the United States, if they desire.
Ms. Kadeer is a well respected businesswoman who was once officially
touted as an inspiration to her fellow members of the Uighur ethnic
group. On March 10th, 2000, Ms. Kadeer was sentenced to 8 years in jail
for ``giving information to separatists outside the country.'' Her
efforts to business enterprises have been recognized by Chinese
authorities as contributing to the overall economic and social
development of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region, one of the
poorest regions throughout China.
However, in 1997, Ms. Kadeer was stripped of her passport, and with
it the right to freedom of movement as well as subjected to continual
police harassments. These actions were clearly aimed at silencing her
husband, Mr. Sidick Rozi, a former political prisoner who has been an
outspoken critic of China's treatment of the Uighur minority in Western
China. Mr. Rozi, now living in the United States, has made numerous
statements on Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and testified last July
before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus concerning the extremely
harsh discriminations suffered by the Uighur minority. Ms. Kadeer was
made a hostage in her own country, unable to join her husband and a
number of her children in the United States, simply because of the
political activities of her husband.
On August 11th, 1999 Rebiya Kadeer was arrested while she was on her
way to meet with a group of congressional staff visiting China. She was
charged in September with ``providing secret information to
foreigners.'' Ms. Kadeer does not have access to ``state secrets,'' she
is a businesswoman, not a political activist. After 7 months of
detention and the arrest and subsequent arbitrary sentencing of her
secretary and one son, Ms. Kadeer was given a 4-hour trial. During this
trial, neither she nor her lawyer were able to speak, none of her
children were allowed to attend and the 300 Uighurs who had gathered at
the courthouse were dispersed by Chinese police.
If China wants to be a full partner in the international arena, it
has to start abiding by international norms and living within the rule
of law. Seven months of arbitrary detention and a trial where the
defendant's lawyer is not allowed to speak is not an accepted practice
within the international community and should not be an accepted
practice in China.
Ms. Kadeer was traveling to meet with congressional staff, official
representatives of the U.S. Government, when she was detained. This did
not seem to matter to the Chinese and it appears to be one of the
factors for the timing of her arrest. Clearly, the Chinese were sending
a signal: Any citizen who meets with or talks to U.S. citizens is
risking detention, arrest and a prison sentence.
Incidences such as this prove that now is not the time to ease the
pressure on China. We in the United States, and around the world must
never give up our ideals and belief in human freedom, and need to
pressure dictators, oppressors and abusers around the world that lack
the respect for the rule of law and for human life. Only if Ms.
Kadeer's case is brought to the highest level of our administration and
the Chinese Government is there any hope that Ms. Kadeer will not spend
the next 8 years of her life in a Chinese prison--8 years she should be
spending with her husband and 10 children--and for speaking up for the
most basic human rights of her people, the Uighurs.
Mr. NETHERCUTT. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the work of the
International Relations Committee, particularly the Subcommittee on
International Operations and Human Rights and the Subcommittee on Asia
and the Pacific, in moving this important resolution forward. Today we
are considering the Senate version of the resolution I introduced, H.
Con. Res. 249, which has 11 cosponsors.
As the chairman has noted, this resolution expresses the sense of
Congress that the People's Republic of China should immediately release
Rabiya Kadeer, her secretary and her son, and permit them to move to
the United States.
Kadeer is a 53-year-old entrepreneur from China's Xingjiang
Autonomous Region. As a member of the Uighur minority, she emerged as a
symbol of how minorities could succeed in China. However, her
relationship with the Chinese Government deteriorated after her
husband's emigration to the United States in 1997. Sidik Rouzi has
become a prominent critic of China's Xingjiang policies and testified
last summer before the House Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
On August 11, 1999, Rabiya Kadeer, her secretary, and two of her sons
were arrested in Urumqi, China and charged with ``illegally providing
intelligence for foreign organizations.'' She was apparently arrested
en route to a previously scheduled meeting with U.S. congressional
staff. A member of my staff was part of this official delegation,
organized under the auspices of the Mutual Educational and Cultural
Exchange Program of the U.S. Information Agency.
The arrest prior to a meeting with an official delegation was an
affront to Congress. Members and staff should be allowed to travel
internationally and conduct their official duties without fear that
their visit will trigger retributive action by the host country. One
purpose of this staff delegation was to encourage mutual understanding
and cultural exchange--the arrest was clearly contrary to this purpose.
Such intimidation should never accompany an official delegation visit.
Even more troubling, Kadeer was convicted and sentenced to 8 years in
prison for merely mailing copies of local newspapers to her husband in
the United States. Apparently, her high crime was to mark and fold the
newspapers in such a way that she was illegally revealing state
information.
In February, I received a letter from the Chinese Ambassador noting
``Ethnic secessionism in Xingjiang and Tibet is a deep concern for us.
I hope our American friends could put themselves in our shoes when
approaching this issue.'' I do not believe that Chinese concerns about
ethnic affairs merit a suspension of human rights.
Indeed, this resolution merely calls for the People's Republic of
China to adhere to International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, which guarantees citizens the right to legal recourse when
their rights have been violated and forbids arbitrary arrest and
detention. Even though a Chinese court dismissed this case last
November for lack of evidence, Kadeer was tried again. The second trial
lasted all of two hours, and according to Human Rights Watch, neither
she nor her attorney were permitted to even speak. China signed this
Covenant in 1998 and has an obligation to respect the civil and
political rights of all Chinese citizens, irrespective of their
ethnicity.
I urge my colleagues in the House to join the other body in passing
this important resolution. China should immediately release Rabiya
Kadeer, her secretary, and her son, and should allow them to move to
the United States. Vote in support of this resolution and send a strong
message to China that they must respect the political rights of all of
their citizens.
Mr. GILMAN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairmen and ranking
minority members of the International Operations and Human Rights, and
the Asia and Pacific Subcommittees for their work on this important
resolution.
Ms. Rabiya Kadeer, her son and secretary were arrested in Chinese-
occupied East Turkestan or the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region on
August 11, 1999, as they were attempting to meet with a group of
congressional staff. Ms. Kadeer's husband works for Radio Free Asia and
has been critical of the Chinese occupation of his homeland. After
their arrest, the three individuals were eventually accused of
illegally giving Mr. Kadeer various news clippings and public speeches
concerning the struggle in East Turkestan.
Ms. Kadeer was sentenced to 8 years in prison, her son was sent to a
labor camp for 2 years and her secretary to 3 years. The resolution
calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to
immediately release them and permit them to move to the United States
if so they desire. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.
Mr. BEREUTER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bereuter) that the House suspend the rules
and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, S. Con. Res. 81.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate concurrent resolution
was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________