June 17, 2004

Human rights groups accused China of failing in its commitment to abide by its international obligations after a visit by a UN human rights expert dealing with torture was called off.

The Chinese government asked for more time to prepare for the two-week trip this month by UN special rapporteur Theo van Boven in view of the different authorities and regions involved, the United Nations said in a statement.

"The Chinese government has engaged in a recurring strategy of responding to international pressure and scrutiny with well-timed overtures that it and other governments can point to as indicators of Chinas progress in human rights reforms ...," Human Rights in China said.

"Once the pressure recedes, these overtures are all too often withdrawn."

Van Boven, who was due to present his report to the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Commission, lamented the delay, stressing that freedom to make inquiries as well as access to places of detention were necessary for a proper assessment.

He also underlined the need for confidential interviews with detainees and other people, without fear of reprisal, the statement said.

A visit to China by the UN rapporteur on torture has been planned for a decade, but is yet to happen.

Previous special rapporteur Sir Nigel Rodley had requested an invitation to China in 1995, and China issued an invitation in 1999, but no agreement was reached on terms of reference for the visit.

Beijing repeated its invitation to van Boven in 2001, and pledged to reissue an unconditional invitation at the December 2002 US-China human rights dialogue.

"In light of the fact that the visit ... has been under discussion for the best part of a decade, this eleventh-hour postponement raises serious questions about the sincerity of the government's commitment to international cooperation," said Human Rights Watch.

The Chinese government had no immediate comment Thursday.

Rights groups charge that torture in China is endemic, but it is difficult to establish exactly how widespread abuses are with requests for access by independent observers regularly turned down.

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