Italy also, despite the latest resolutions of the European Parliament (the last one was approved on November 17th 2004) and lasting appeals from several political personalities and major human rights
organizations, have given priority to business and economicy interests in front of the respect of democracy and human rights.

Taking into account business interests, when they do not endanger jobs in Italy, does not mean the possibility to leave the embargo imposed after events in Tienanmen Square, without any significant and concrete
step forward from the side of Beijing on the road towards the respect of human rights. Those human rights must be inalienable both for Han people – the dominating ethnic group of China - and for those living in countries illegally occupied by the Popular Republic of China.

In China, each year thousands of individuals are victims of the death penalty, being executed even for minor crimes. The most basic human, civil and labor rights are
constantly violated. A violent repression targets the Tibetan people, Uyghurs from the East Turkestan region and inhabitants of Inner Mongolia.

We consider it a scandal that many Western countries, including Italy, do not bind the ratification of economic agreements and the lifting of the arms embargo to the respect of fundamental freedoms and to explicit guarantees against human rights violations and the lasting repressions, annexations and wars inflicted by China.

Representatives of institutions, trade unions and other organizations, meeting in Turin on December 10th 2004 for the International day of Human Rights, appeal to the civil society and politics to end this shame for a supposedly civilized country.

On behalf of the prosecuted ethnic groups, of the prisoners for political or religious reasons, of the dissidents struggling for democracy and against the dictatorship of the Communist Party, we demand that the embargo on arms sales to China will not be lifted.