Once the youngest Member of Parliament in the House of Commons, Lord Alton of Liverpool, UK, has spent much of his adult life fighting for freedom around the world.
In an interview with NTDBritish thought leaderPublished on January 10, Crossventipia said that the suppression of religious liberty, liberty and democracy by authoritarian regimes had “real implications here in the West” and would ultimately lead to “the rise of democracy and dictatorship.” “It will be a battle between,” he said.
Born to Christian parents and shaped in his teens by world events such as the spread of communism and the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, David Alton entered politics as a young liberal at the age of 21. rice field.
After seven years as a Member of Parliament, he spent over 40 years at Westminster (18 in the House of Commons and over 25 in the House of Lords).
He also founded and sponsored many charities, including the Jubilee Campaign. [International] Some large NGOs, especially those persecuted because of their religious beliefs. “
reliance on a genocidal regime
In addition to his efforts to defend fetal rights and other domestic and foreign affairs, much of Alton’s focus is now on China’s ruling Communist Party (CCP), both a human rights violation of the regime and a threat to the world. is directed.
He is currently a member of the International Relations and Defense Committee investigating Britain’s security and trade ties with China.
“During that research, I was able to point out the UK’s lack of resilience and the growing dependency it was left with. [PRC],” He said.
The UK “shouldn’t be dependent” on a country like China, Mr Alton argued, saying one of the most important things the West should learn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is Germany’s dependence on Russian oil and gas. He said to avoid it.
One of the reasons relying on the CCP is dangerous relates to legal decisions of genocide, such as human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. This is another issue that Alton has been keenly pursuing in recent years.
He has made numerous attempts to empower UK courts to make preliminary decisions on genocide, including the Genocide Determination Bill, which passed its second reading in the Senate last October.
If passed, the High Courts of England and Wales would have the power to make preliminary decisions in cases of alleged genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.
In December 2021, an independent Uyghur tribunal in London, headed by Sir Geoffrey Nice (KC), ruled that the Chinese government had committed genocide against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. was dropped.
The US government, the UK parliament, and many other parliaments around the world have also declared what is happening in Xinjiang to be genocide, but the UK government has so far failed to put pressure on the label to be used. have resisted.
Successive British governments have maintained the position that genocide decisions should be made by a “competent court” such as the International Criminal Court (ICC) or the International Court of Justice. But China’s veto power in the UN Security Council and non-signatories to the Rome Act establishing the functions, jurisdiction and structure of the ICC effectively block the two routes.
Former Foreign Secretary Liz Truss acknowledged reality during her campaign to become prime minister last August, saying Britain was “actively considering” how to deal with the genocidal regime.
Mr Alton said it was important to “keep up the pressure” because Britain has an obligation under the 1948 Genocide Convention to prevent genocide, protect those affected and punish those responsible. I said yes.
If his bill becomes law, it will affect many other parts of the world, he added.
“When you think about what happened to Rohingya Muslims, when you think about Christians in northern Nigeria, the numbers go back to … the Armenian genocide,” Alton said. , failed to fulfill its duty to protect, prevent and punish, and will have to do better in the future.”
“Please open your eyes wide.”
As Patron of Hong Kong Watch and Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Hong Kong, Alton observed The 2019 district council elections turned out to be the “last fair and free elections” in Hong Kong.
Reflecting on the “one country, two systems” strategy proposed by former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and endorsed by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, Alton described what many believed to be an “act of genius.” said it looked In the future, it could be a way to solve problems around Taiwan. “
By crushing democracy, Mr. Alton said the CCP “has destroyed one country, two systems in Hong Kong” and that the world’s democracies should “recognize the real impact here for the West.” I said I need to.
He said it was “ridiculous” to talk about Taiwan’s “reabsorption” because Taiwan, a de facto sovereign island, has never been part of Communist Party-controlled China.
“nevertheless, [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping has regularly stated that their intention is to invade Taiwan by force if necessary, depriving Taiwan’s 23 million people of the liberties and liberties they enjoy. “
Alton cited the CCP’s “blackmail” against Lithuania over the establishment of a Taiwan representative office in Vilnius and the regime’s use of the Belt and Road initiative to impose debt on developing countries. , he said the British must “act with their eyes wide open”. what we can do to prevent them. “
“This will ultimately be a battle between democracy and dictatorship,” he said.
“We must expect justice in Iran. Ordinary Iranians have challenged the Iranian dictatorship. must be expected.
“I don’t hate China. I love China. I love the Chinese people. But I don’t like the CCP. No. And I want them to have what I enjoy myself: freedom, democracy, the rule of law, and human rights.”
“Biggest Threat”
Commenting on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s softening of rhetoric by calling China a “systematic challenge” rather than a threat, Alton said the CCP is “more than just a challenge.”
“Some scholars say as many as 50 million people have died. Even so, we have to be wise about this,” he said.
Alton, along with Nice, academic Joanne Nicola Smith-Finley, eight Conservative and Labor MPs, and four British groups, will be in March 2021 to voice their vociferous criticism of China’s human rights atrocities. was sanctioned by the Chinese regime for
Alton said he and his family, like others who have been sanctioned, wear it as a “badge of honor” and will not be deterred.
“By trying to impose sanctions, they are not going to silence us,” he said.
The Chinese Communist Party “cannot move people this way and expect them to do nothing about it,” Alton said, referring to the “Inter-Parliamentary Union on China.” The threat facing the democratic world at the moment is the People’s Republic of China and, along with the People’s Republic of China, several other authoritarian states with which they are associated: the Taliban in Afghanistan, Iran, and Russia. “
Lily Zhou is an Ireland-based reporter focusing on UK news. Lily said she attended the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times for the first time before she focused on the UK in 2020.
