Appendix 5 to “CHRD & Coalition NGOs Report Submitted to CESCR” – April 2014

April 15, 2014 Comments Off

Appendix 5 to “CHRD & Coalition NGOs Report Submitted to CESCR”:

The Situation of Freedom of Association in China

(Summary in English, followed by excerpts in Chinese)

From The Rights Defense Network

Since the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, new features have become noticeable in the government’s repression of freedom of association. The Rights Defense Network has identified four such features, as manifested by the crackdown on the New Citizens’ Movement: 1) The trend of association has become a key target of suppression; 2) detentions precede charges; 3) charges are becoming technical and depoliticized; and 4) sophisticated punishments have been developed to maximize impacts.

Since March 2013, the deteriorating situation on the ground in China has posed more challenges for domestic civil society organizations and citizens to practice their rights to free association, as follows:

First, The Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms (adopted at the Third Plenary Session) completely neglects the situation and practice of free association, which shows that the CCP has not considered including these issues on its reform agenda in the next five years. In addition, the Decision concludes the section “Innovation of Social Governing System” with a clause to establish a “State Security Committee,” indicating that the CCP is determined to utilize state security mechanisms to prevent potential problems of association while controlling existing NGOs under its “social governing system.”

Second, the Chinese government will focus on suppressing “overseas associations” (i.e., those registered overseas but operating domestically), overseas NGOs with domestic activities, domestic online networks, and “rights defense organizations.” The last category will be the target of the most severe crackdown.

Third, the CCP has adopted a comprehensive mechanism to control all kinds of NGOs and monitor association tendencies, mainly through setting up Party branches within existing social organizations. This serves to strengthen the supervision of GONGOs (government-run groups) on one hand, and prevent quasi-NGOs turning into genuine NGOs on the other.

Fourth, apart from four types of organizations that may see slightly loosened state administration—industry associations, science and technology bodies, charities, and urban and rural community services—all other NGOs are likely to face unprecedentedly harsh operating conditions. Up to the end of 2016, NGOs will have little possibility to obtain status as independent entities. NGOs will still have to affiliate themselves to administrative organs in order to be considered “legitimate” by the government, let alone operate independently into the future.

Fifth, the government has heavily suppressed the upward tide of free speech online. Without freedom of speech, true freedom of association becomes even more remote.

Recommendations: the CCP must stop establishing new Party branches in social organizations and withdraw existing ones, and departments of civil affairs at all levels can only receive NGO registrations, and should not have the power to approve standards of freedom of association. The government should relax the registration requirements for NGOs; for example, it should eliminate requirements for NGOs to have a fixed location and a certain level of funding, abolish the category of “organizations with connections abroad”; abolish annual review of NGOs; and provide clear guidelines on NGO exemptions from sales tax, income tax, and other taxes.

Full text of the report in Chinese: http://weiquanwang.org/?p=40279

中国民间组织发展与公民结社自由现状调研报告

卫鸣溪撰写 维权网协助

(相关章节节选)

2013年中共18届三中全会前后，中国政府压制结社自由有一些明显的新特点，本报告由新公民运动遭受打压对此做了分析。主要表现为四点：1、打压重点对象变为结社动向；2、先抓捕，再定罪；3、罪名技术化、避免政治化；4、处理精细化、力图成果扩大。

2013年3月以来，中国民间组织处境和公民结社自由状况有恶化风险：

第一、《中共中央关于全面深化改革若干重大问题的决定》与结社、结社自由没有任何关系，中共根本没有考虑在今后5年内把结社、结社自由列入议事日程。特别是将设立国家安全委员会置于“创新社会治理体制”结尾，中共的政策思路是将潜在的结社问题和防范已经出现的民间组织，整体纳入创新社会治理体制，而且提到国家安全的高度。

第二、涉外离岸社团（海外注册、境内活动组织）和在境内活动的境外非政府组织、国内网络社团和“维权类组织”是中国政府严厉打压的对象，“维权类组织”是更加严厉打压的对象。

第三、中国共产党通过综合立体手段管控现有各种形式存在的民间组织和结社动向，主要表现为在现有社会组织中进行党群建设，一方面对GONGO加强管控，另一方面防范假民间组织变为真的民间组织。

第四、可能比以前稍显宽松的就是行业协会商会类、科技类、公益慈善类、城乡社区服务类社会组织，其它民间组织极可能面临空前严酷的环境，它们在2016年前连拥有独立身份的可能都没有，只能继续依附于行政机关才能被政府视为“合法”，独立性遥遥无期。

第五、中国言论自由在网络上的萌芽已经面临严冬的摧残，言论自由不保，结社自由更谈不上。

建议：中共应停止在社会组织的党群建设，党群组织退出社会组织；民间组织只需由各级民政部门接受登记，这些部门不应该拥有批准结社自由的权力；放宽登记条件，如，取消固定场所和资金要求，取消“涉外组织”这种类别；取消年检；明确民间组织免除营业税、增值税、所得税等。