April 13, 2009

China releases human rights action plan

Per New York Times, China issued its first action plan on human rights promising to improve the protection of liberties that are often neglected and violated.

The document calls for measures to discourage torture, protect rights to a fair trial and uphold rights already guaranteed in the Chinese constitution but are ignored or suppressed by authorities, according to the article.

Per Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese government admitted that it still "has a long road ahead in its efforts to improve its human rights situation."

Twitter users reacted to the news with skepticism:

  1. To Protect Bloggers
    cpb (Global) Hilarious! China creates a (LOL) "human rights action plan"! http://is.gd/sd68
  2. sanjeev
    sanjeevn (Boston, Mass.) China Releases Human Rights Plan http://bit.ly/BGqRF Aah.. why do I react to that headline with cynicism. A planning commission in charge?
  3. Tricia Adams
    Trish1981 (South Bend, Ind.) China releases a human rights action plan My guess is it was distributed as a pamphlet consisting mostly of pictures of happy Chinese people
  4. Mofobro
    Mofobro (Tanglin, Singapore) @weirdchina I don't know what you're smoking, but I want some of it! China will do [expletive] for human rights, minorities, polution, NOTHING!


Other Twitterers were more optimistic:

  1. weirdchina.com ✓ weirdchina (China) in China, as a foreigner living among the Chinese, I have learned that baby steps = progress
  2. leadglobally leadglobally (Park City, Utah) China delivers first human rights plan - "the times they are a changing".


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