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HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA: PARLIAMENTARIANS ON HUNGER STRIKE TO DEMAND A G8 INTERVENTION FOR THE RESPECT OF UIGHURS RIGHTS

Rome, 8th July 2009

Since this evening the Italian Parliamentarians Matteo Mecacci, Rita Bernardini, Maria Antonietta Farina Coscioni, Roberto Giachetti, Marco Perduca, Maurizio Turco and Elisabetta Zamparutti have started a hunger strike to demand an intervention of the leaders assembled at the G8 Summit Conference in L’Aquila towards China, calling for the end of violence in the Xinjang region, a fact-finding mission on riots which erupted into violence in the last days and the respect of Uighurs rights.

Especially, Italian Parliamentarians call upon the Italian Government to promote a G8 initiative soliciting China to:

1) Stop violence in Xingjian region, taking the necessary action in order to prevent Security Forces as well as armed Chinese civilians’ attacks against Uighur population;

2) Cooperate with International Institutions that work in humanitarian assistance and human rights monitoring, as Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), international NGOs and international press.

“The G8 Summit – that President Hu Jintao would not attend because he had to suddenly move back to China – must ask Peking for respect of existing international humanitarian rules” said Italian Parliamentarians, “If China really wants to play a lead role in international policy and institutions must respect international human rights standards like all international civil countries”.