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LB-LA Port Cong. Rohrabacher (Nov. 14, 2005) -- Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R., HB-LB-PV), whose district includes the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, is The measure was introduced Nov. 9 on the eve of the current visit by President George W. Bush, former President George H.W. Bush, and CA Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to China to promote trade.
House Concurrent Resolution [H. Con. Res] 294 by Cong. Frank Wolf (R., VA) was Congressman Rohrabacher's district stretches from Huntington Beach to Palos Verdes and encompasses the Ports of LB and L.A. and includes Belmont Shore and much of ELB (roughly 20% of LB).
Congressman Rohrabacher has previously led the opposition to granting the Peoples Republic of China "Most Favored Nation" (now termed "Normal Trade Relations") status, opposing the House Republican leadership and the Bush administration on the matter.
Among its "whereas" clauses, the proposed resolution says the Laogai "is a vast prison labor system [that] consists of a network of more than 1,000 prisons, camps, and mental institutions in which detainees must work at factories, farms, mines, and other facilities" and says the Chinese government "relies on the Laogai as a tool for political suppression of pro-democracy activists, Internet dissidents, labor activists, and religious and spiritual believers." It says that while "the Soviet Gulags no longer exist, the Chinese Laogai is still fully operational."
It says Laogai prisoners are forced to work under "appalling conditions, including mining asbestos and other toxic chemicals with no protective clothing, tanning hides while standing naked in vats filled with chemicals used for softening of animal skins, and working in mining facilities where explosions and other accidents are a common occurrence."
The proposed resolution says "it is documented that China's national policy since 1984 has been to extract organs from executed prisoners without prior consent of the prisoners or their family members, setting China apart from every other country in the world" with "more than 1,000 instances in which organs are harvested from executed Chinese prisoners every year."
It says laogai prisoners are "required to make confessions of their wrongdoings, which include political and religious views that the Chinese Communist Party wishes to suppress" and "Chinese citizens are not guaranteed due process of law nor even a right to trial" with "many individuals...often convicted and sentenced with no trial at all, or...convicted with 'evidence' extracted through torture." It adds that in one part of the laogai system "known as the Laojiao, or reeducation-through-labor, Chinese citizens can be detained for up to three years without any judicial review or formal appearance in the judicial system."
The resolution says "goods produced by forced labor in the Laogai system continue to be exported to the United States and the world" and charges the Chinese government "has continuously encouraged the export of goods produced through the Laogai prison system and relies on forced labor as an integral part of its economy," violating "international laws, standards, and treaties to which China is party, including the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment."
Among other things, the resolution calls on the U.S. government [administration] to fully implement U.S. laws "that prohibit the importation of forced labor products made in the Laogai" and "take actions to review the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Prison Labor in 1992 and the Statement of Cooperation in 1994 with respect to the Laogai."
The proposed resolution has been referred to the House Committee on International Relations. Its full text appears below.
Developing.
[begin resolution text]
109th CONGRESS
Calling on the international community to condemn the Laogai, the system of forced labor prison camps in the People's Republic of China, as a tool for suppression maintained by the Chinese Government.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 9, 2005
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling on the international community to condemn the Laogai, the system of forced labor prison camps in the People's Republic of China, as a tool for suppression maintained by the Chinese Government.
Whereas the Laogai is a vast prison labor system in the People's Republic of China and consists of a network of more than 1,000 prisons, camps, and mental institutions in which detainees must work at factories, farms, mines, and other facilities;
Whereas the two major aims of the Laogai are to generate economic resources for the state through free labor and to `reform criminals' through hard labor and political indoctrination;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China relies on the Laogai as a tool for political suppression of pro-democracy activists, Internet dissidents, labor activists, and religious and spiritual believers, including Han Chinese, Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians, and `house church' Christians;
Whereas, while the Soviet Gulags no longer exist, the Chinese Laogai is still fully operational, subjecting most of its three million prisoners to forced labor by threatening torture;
Whereas fifty million people have suffered as prisoners in the Laogai since its inception;
Whereas Laogai prisoners are deprived of religious freedom and forced to give up their political views in order to become a `new socialist person' and uphold communism and the Chinese Communist Party;
Whereas in recent years, more than 100,000 religious believers have been unjustly and illegally imprisoned in one Laogai camp alone, where they have been beaten, tortured, and often killed;
Whereas Laogai prisoners are forced to work long hours in appalling conditions, including mining asbestos and other toxic chemicals with no protective clothing, tanning hides while standing naked in vats filled with chemicals used for softening of animal skins, and working in mining facilities where explosions and other accidents are a common occurrence;
Whereas it is documented that China's national policy since 1984 has been to extract organs from executed prisoners without prior consent of the prisoners or their family members, setting China apart from every other country in the world;
Whereas there are more than 1,000 instances in which organs are harvested from executed Chinese prisoners every year;
Whereas both Chinese and foreign patients from around the world receive organs transplanted from executed Chinese prisoners;
Whereas Laogai prisoners are required to make confessions of their wrongdoings, which include political and religious views that the Chinese Communist Party wishes to suppress;
Whereas Chinese citizens are not guaranteed due process of law nor even a right to trial;
Whereas many individuals are often convicted and sentenced with no trial at all, or they are convicted with `evidence' extracted through torture;
Whereas in one part of the Laogai system known as the Laojiao, or reeducation-through-labor, Chinese citizens can be detained for up to three years without any judicial review or formal appearance in the judicial system;
Whereas goods produced by forced labor in the Laogai system continue to be exported to the United States and the world;
Whereas the Chinese Government has continuously encouraged the export of goods produced through the Laogai prison system and relies on forced labor as an integral part of its economy;
Whereas forced labor and torture practices carried out in the Laogai violate international laws, standards, and treaties to which China is party, including the United Nations Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and
Whereas China, a member State of the International Labor Organization, also violates many agreements regarding labor conditions and the rights of workers: Now, therefore, be it
(2) calls on the Government of the United States to fully implement United States laws that prohibit the importation of forced labor products made in the Laogai;
(3) calls on the Government of the United States to take actions to review the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding on Prison Labor in 1992 and the Statement of Cooperation in 1994 with respect to the Laogai;
(4) will undertake efforts to join with the European Parliament to urge the introduction of a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Commission condemning the Laogai and the human rights situation in China;
(5) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to release information about the Laogai, including the total number of Laogai camps and prisoners throughout China, the exact locations of the camps, and the business production activities taking place at the camps;
(6) calls on the Government of the People's Republic of China to release information about the number of executions of prisoners at the camps that are carried out every year, and the extent of the harvesting and transplantation of organs of executed prisoners;
(7) urges the Government of the People's Republic of China to allow unrestricted visits by international human rights inspectors, including United Nations inspectors, to Laogai camps throughout China; and
(8) urges the Congressional-Executive Commission on China to investigate the Laogai system in China and to make recommendations for United States policy that will help protect human rights for Chinese citizens.
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