Chen Yonglin - Chinese Diplomat (1 of 4)

Clip 1 of 4

In July 2007 Amnesty International brought dissident Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin to New Zealand as part of its work raising awareness and improving human rights in China. The following is a media interview that Chen Yonglin gave during his stay in New Zealand. He is accompanied by Jeanette Fitzsimons co-leader of the New Zealand Green Party and Keith Locke, Human Rights Spokesperson for the Green Party.

During the interview Chen talks about his knowledge of the Chinese governments practices of monitoring Chinese dissidents abroad and mentions a kidnapping case where a New Zealand resident was secretly whisked back to China for political reasons.

Chen Yonglin is a former Chinese Diplomat who worked as Consul for Political Affairs in the Chinese consulate in Sydney, Australia.
In the summer of 2005 he defected from the Chinese government and sought political asylum in Australia.

In his position as Consul for Political Affairs Chen has stated that he was responsible for monitoring Chinese political dissidents, especially Falun Gong, living in Australia. He also reportedly had access to highly classified information on Chinese intelligence activities in Australia. Chen has claimed that he had "gone easy" on dissidents and Falun Gong practitioners and had not reported some actions, to protest China's policies towards political dissent. He has also suggested that the Chinese government was becoming suspicious of his activities, and that as a result, he fears for his safety if returned to China. Chen remains unapologetic over his defection, insisting that he betrayed the Communist Party of China, not China.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Yonglin

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• China
• Falun
• Gong
• Amnesty
• International
• Human
• Rights
• Organ