"International Deniers of Human Rights:" That is what the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has termed the 19 nations that have declared solidarity with the political leadership in China by not attending the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in Oslo on Friday, thus boycotting the most important peace prize worldwide. "These 19 nations are notorious for gross violations of human rights within their own borders, and for their efforts in the United Nations to dilute human rights resolutions and muzzle human rights organizations," stated Ulrich Delius, head of the STP's Asia section, on Wednesday in Göttingen. "This illustrious circle includes most of the potential "regulars" at the International Criminal Court: nations that are under investigation – or should be investigated – for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide."

"The only reason they have not been joined in the boycott by more dictators, such as the rulers of Burma and Belarus, is most likely that those countries do not have embassies in Norway and thus were not invited to attend the award ceremony," explained Delius.

"Cuba, Vietnam, Pakistan, Russia, Iraq, Serbia and the Sudan are like an old-boys' network within the UN Human Rights Council, always working to undermine the influence of independent human rights organizations," said Delius. "China, Russia and Vietnam have been trying for several years to strip the STP of their status as a non-governmental organization in the United Nations." These nations are working systematically on disempowering the UN Human Rights Council and reducing it to a meaningless discussion group. China, Morocco and Vietnam register governmentally conformist groups with the United Nations as human rights organizations, to invalidate the criticism from independent human rights activists. "It is no surprise that this group of declared enemies of human rights are now refusing to attend the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony in solidarity with China's Communist party, as a distraction from the fate of Chinese civil rights activists and thus the human rights situation in the country."

"China's mobilization of regimes that deny human rights is a clear indication of the low priority of human rights in the policies of the Chinese government. China may be a world economical power, but politically it remains a developing country. The leadership in Beijing is not prepared to accept global political responsibility in the sense of the charter of the United Nations," criticized Delius. "China's behavior on the occasion of the awarding of the Nobel Prize is also a slap in the face for all the politicians in Europe who have been trying to put a positive face on China's disregard for human rights, and have been hoping that the country would open up to democracy."

For further information, pleace contact Ulrich Delius: 0049-551-4990627

Translated by Elizabeth Crawford