By Martin Banks - 9th February 2012
Ever since then these practitioners have been persecuted terribly
Edward McMillan-Scott
Senior British deputy Edward McMillan-Scott has denounced the Chinese regime's "abhorrent treatment of innocent people".
Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, the ALDE MEP also advocated an Arab Spring-style "Chinese revolution".
The deputy was addressing an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of New Tang Dynasty, an independent Chinese language TV channel.
He described NTD as a "unique" Chinese news broadcasting company which uses its position to transmit uncensored news and factual programmes in and out of China.
Praising the channel for its "courageous" work, he said the Chinese regime's "abhorrent treatment of innocent people only makes the work of NTD that more important".
McMillan-Scott, a parliament vice-president, added, "We are in the Chinese new year of the dragon. I read a little about this and found that the Dragon - the strongest Zodiac sign - signifies non-conformity; a dislike for unnecessary rules, regulations and restrictions; a need to be free and uninhibited; confidence and fearlessness in the face of challenge.
"The activities of NTD demonstrate so many of these admirable traits, which I truly believe will be a contributing factor to a 'Chinese revolution', as we saw with the Jasmine revolution in Tunisia and Arab Spring in Egypt and Libya."
He reminded the audience, including parliament's former president Jerzy Buzek, that Eutelsat - a French satellite company - "abruptly" ended its transmission of NTD into China a few weeks before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, citing "technical reasons".
"There was strong evidence gathered by Reporters Without Borders that it was actually due to the Chinese authorities promising lucrative business deals to Eutelsat in return for the end of NTD broadcasts," he said.
He said that due to a written declaration, signed by 477 MEPs, Eutelsat was "brought to account," adding, "In 2010 the French courts ordered a group of experts to investigate these "technical reasons".
NTD was founded 10 years ago by a group of Falun Gong supporters which, in 1999, was banned in China.
He said that "ever since then these practitioners have been persecuted terribly."
The deputy, a noted critic of the Chinese regime, added, "During my last visit to Beijing in 2006 I had contact with a number of Falun Gong practitioners, human rights Defenders and prisoners of conscience, including Hu Jia - 2008 Sakharov Prize winner.
"The Chinese Communist Party responded by arresting everyone with whom I had contact: most were then imprisoned and some were tortured until today."
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