(Brussels) Safeguarding human rights in counter-terrorism measures, respecting the rights of asylum seekers and migrants, and building support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) should top the agenda at the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Copenhagen, Human Rights Watch said today. The fourth ASEM summit will bring together heads of state from Asia and Europe on September 22-24, 2002.
"The ASEM summit is a key opportunity for European and Asian leaders to address critical human rights issues," said Lotte Leicht, Brussels director of Human Rights Watch. Top priorities include protecting the rights of migrants and ensuring that counter-terrorism is not used as a pretext for human rights abuse.
In advance of the summit, Human Rights Watch wrote to each of the European and Asian participants, outlining its concerns and recommendations (see letter to EU partners, attached). In addition to EU members, ASEM includes Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Vietnam. Denmark, currently in the EU presidency, will host the summit.
"ASEM leaders should affirm that counter-terrorism initiatives must fully comply with international human rights standards and with refugee law," Leicht said. "We agree that terrorism can't be defeated by military or technical means alone. There must be a comprehensive approach that addresses the human rights abuses that create an environment conducive to violence and extremism."
Human Rights Watch also urged ASEM states to endorse ratification of the International Criminal Court treaty; Leicht pointed out that few Asian governments have yet ratified the treaty, and none of ASEM's Asian partners have ratified the treaty.
"The EU should encourage ratification, and offer advice and assistance on enactment of national implementing laws for the ICC," Leicht said.
Bilateral meetings are also scheduled in Copenhagen, including a China-EU summit with Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, on September 24. Human Rights Watch urged the EU to press China for progress on labor rights, ending political abuse of psychiatry, and giving access to Xinjiang to human rights monitors to assess abuses affecting Uighur Muslims.
