France signs controversial extradition treaty with China

Paris - France on Tuesday became the third EU member nation, after Spain and Portugal, to sign a mutual extradition treaty with China, an agreement that has been widely criticized by human rights organizations. After the agreement was announced earlier this year, it was slammed by a number of associations, such as Amnesty International, who asked Paris not to sign because of what they said were serious violations of human rights in China, such as the death penalty, arbitrary imprisonment, torture and other inhumane treatment of detainees. However, the agreement must still be approved by the French Parliament, and its fate therefore will depend on the outcome of the coming French presidential and parliamentary elections, which take place in April, May and June. At the signing ceremony, French Justice Minister Pascal Clement said that the agreement contained sufficient safeguards against abuse, such as its rejection of arrest warrants 'for political infractions or military infractions.' © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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France signs controversial extradition treaty with China

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