Strasbourg, 21/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - In a resolution common to the EPP, S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA, ECR and EFD groups, adopted on Thursday 21 January in Strasbourg, the European Parliament denounces human rights violations in China, calling in particular for the release of Liu Xiaobo, who is imprisoned for peaceful action and initiatives to promote democratic reform and the protection of human rights in his country. The Parliament, which welcomes Beijing's implementation of a first national action plan on human rights for the period 2009-2010, nonetheless considers that the situation in China is “very worrying”. It therefore calls on China to comply with the provisions of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted in 1998, and to ensure respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms, as well as ratification of the international covenant on civil and political rights for Chinese citizens. The Parliament also deplores the fact that China, in the context of its universal periodic review process of 2009, rejected all the recommendations made by UN member states in relation to freedom of expression, freedom of association, the independence of the judiciary, guarantees for the legal profession, protection of human rights defenders, the rights of ethnic majorities, abolition of the death penalty, abolition of re-education through labour, prohibition of torture, media freedom and effective remedies for discrimination. Finally, the EP welcomes Google's intention to stop cooperating with the Chinese authorities in relation to internet filtering and censorship. (E.H./transl.jl)