Safeguarding human rights

The right to survival and development are the basis for all other human rights. Without a safe, stable social environment where people can live free from threats, it is illusive to talk about other human rights.

In peaceful times, one of the biggest threats to human rights must be terrorism. It not only takes innocent lives and causes property losses, it also causes panic among the public, which in turn curbs economic growth and threatens the livelihoods of more people.

China has been suffering from terrorism, and its Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region is perhaps the biggest victim region.

On July 5, 2009, terrorists launched a major violent, terrorist incident in its capital city Urumqi, which left 197 people dead and over 1,700 injured. After that, terrorists launched thousands of attacks that victimized not only Xinjiang, but also other regions.

Many countries in the world have been investing heavily in the fight against terrorism, yet the common enemy has not been curbed at the root. There are many causes, a major one of which is certain developed countries hold a double standard on terrorism.

Religious extremism has already become a main way of terrorist organizations’ expansion. By misinterpreting the Quran and fabricating the history of their nations, certain terrorist organizations wrap up their political purposes inside the cloak of religion and brainwash youngsters with extremism.

One after another, countries have realized the importance of curbing extremism in fighting terrorism. The measures they take include:

First, draft proper laws so as to curb extremism from flourishing. In the United Kingdom, France, Australia and Indonesia, there have already been amendments to anti-terrorism laws that aim at curbing extremism.

Second, policies have been implemented to specifically curb extremism among certain groups, such as teenagers and Muslims, which often fall easy prey to extremism. In Germany, they provide psychological counseling for teenagers so as to prevent them from succumbing to extremist propaganda.

Third, more measures are being taken to curb the channels of extremism. For example in Indonesia, some former “jihadists” were recruited to educate the common people to stay alert to extremism.

China faces similar threats so it takes similar measures to fight extremism. It has both absorbed international experiences and tried its own measures in the fight against extremism. Its approach has proved quite effective, and fits local conditions.

In doing so, China has fully protected human rights.

Li Wei, a researcher in anti-terrorism studies at China Institutes for Contemporary International Relations