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Sep 21, 2006
SHANGHAI (AFP) - China's top judges opened a two day meeting in Shanghai on handling terrorism, separatism and extremism with their counterparts from central Asian states and Russia.
Senior judges from member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will discuss legal issues relating to the fight against the so-called "three forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism."
In remarks to be delivered Friday, the vice director of China's Supreme Court, Jun Zhang, said, "guarding and punishing terrorism, separatism and extremism and other transnational crimes" must be "strengthened."
Throughout the world, "particularly terrorist activities being carried out under the flag of separatism and extremism were rampant," he said in the advanced copy of his speech seen by AFP.
These, money laundering and transnational crimes must be considered "severe criminal acts," Zhang plans to tell the group founded five years ago by China and Russia that includes Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Acts of terrorism, separatism or extremism should be subject to extradition and not be hamstrung due to political reasons, Zhang said, in apparent reference to criticism that Beijing uses the fight against terrorism to snuff out enemies of the ruling communist party.
"Opposing terrorism cannot have double standards... No country, party or group can treat the problem of terrorism based on their political positions or other self-beneficial objectives," Zhang said.
Human rights campaigners have criticized the organization for helping to repress opposition political activists in the member countries through such practices as extra-judicial transfer of suspects between countries.
Beijing has cracked down own its own ethnic Uighur Muslims living in northwest China's Xinjiang region, many who have agitated for a return to the brief independence it enjoyed until 1955 as East Turkestan.
The SCO grew out of a regional effort in the mid-1990s to reduce military forces among common borders. It later came to involve anti-terrorism efforts and cooperation in the economic and energy fields.
The organization is China's most concerted effort at promoting a regional multilateral forum, but some Western critics say it is ultimately aimed at countering US influence in Central Asia.