In China, more than a hundred prominent journalists, academics and former Party officials have urged the country's Parliament to ratify a major United Nations treaty known as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Ratification of this major treaty, the petition said, will strengthen the rule of law in China and help promote human rights. The petition warned that if the authorities fail to do so, Chinese society could collapse into hatred and brutality.
The petition is the latest demand for political change facing China's new leaders and comes less than a week before the country's annual Parliament Session. Copies of this petition were circulated online, but some postings were quickly deleted highlighting the sensitivity of the issue. It called on the government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.