Government should clear up their human rights blind spot in relations with China

Steps taken by the South African government to prevent the execution of South African national, Janice Bronwyn Linden, were not enough to save her life.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) will be submitting parliamentary questions to find out:

• What the South African government did to intervene when Linden was initially sentenced?
• What steps were taken since the sentencing to get the sentence commuted?
• Which Chinese authorities did the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) "engage" with and what were the outcomes of these engagements?
• What was the nature of "consular assistance" provided to Linden's family? 
• Why was there a complete media silence from government on Linden's sentencing and imminent execution between April 2010 and the day before her execution?

Linden was executed this morning after being found guilty of drug possession in a Chinese court in July 2009.

Whilst we firmly believe that drug mules should be punished for their offences, this punishment does not fit the crime.

In the statement on this issue by DIRCO spokesperson, Clayson Monyela, he chose to emphasise the fact that "the execution would...not impact South Africa's trade relationship with China". In this context a reference to South Africa's economic relationship with China seems to confirm the DA's assertion that our foreign policy is "made in China" and that where China is involved the government seems to consistently turn a blind eye towards human rights abuses.

In September this year, South Africa denied a visa to the Dalai Lama for fear of upsetting Chinese authorities. In October South Africa supported the Chinese and Russian position by abstaining from a vote in the UN Security Council condemning human rights atrocities in Syria. Last week the secretary general of the ruling party, Gwede Mantashe, expressed the ANC's full support for ZANU-PF - a party that is reportedly a beneficiary of Chinese mining interests in Zimbabwe.

We have to ensure that human rights considerations remain paramount in our foreign policy decisions. It is too late for our government to intervene to save the life of Janice Bronwyn Linden. South Africans, however, deserve to know what was done to assist Linden and her family in pleading for a fair sentence and to be assured that the failure of diplomatic pressure from the South African government cannot be attributed to our apparent human rights blind spot where China is concerned.  

Statement issued by Stevens Mokgalapa MP, DA Shadow Deputy Minister of International Relations, December 12 2011

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