28/04/2009 Political Affairs and Democracy
, 28.04.2009 - The Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) today held an exchange of views with Shen Ting, Chairperson of the Chinese League of Victims of the 2010 World Expo.
According to Mrs Ting, in the framework of the development of the World Expo site, there have been many incidents in which residents have been removed from the site against their will. “The actions of the authorities over the past few years demonstrate that the government has utterly deviated from the principles of the World Expo and from the commitment it made - no coercive removals - in its bid to host the Expo by violating the basic rights of the original inhabitants of the World Expo site.”
Preparations for the World Expo have required the relocation of more than one million residents of the affected districts, she said. The Chinese League of Victims counts 82,000 members. Mrs Ting called on the Council of Europe to render “all necessary legal and humanitarian aid to Chinese petitioners and the Chinese League of Victims”.
The Chairperson of PACE’s Political Affairs Committee, Göran Lindbald (, EPP/CD), stated: “It is important that the international community is informed about the situation in . We should exert pressure on the Chinese authorities to comply with the rule of law and observe human rights.”