(Geneva, April 18, 2000) -- Human Rights Watch today strongly deplored the decision of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights not to consider a resolution criticizing China's human rights performance.
[日内瓦，2000年4月18日]“人权观察”今天对联合国人权委员会作出不考虑谴责中国人权表现的议案之决定表示强烈的悲哀。

"Today's decision represents a sorry failure of political will," said Joanna Weschler, U.N. Representative of Human Rights Watch. "By turning a blind eye to China's worsening human rights record, the delegations in Geneva have given the wrong signal to Beijing's leaders."
“今天的决定代表着一个令人遗憾的政治意愿的失败，”“人权观察”的联合国代表乔安娜.维斯切娜说，“对中国不断恶化的人权记录视若罔闻，这是日内瓦的联合国代表们打给中国领导人的一个错误信号。”

The procedural "no-action motion" was adopted by a vote of 22 to 18, with 12 abstentions; Romania was absent. Weschler criticized governments of the European Union, Australia, Canada and Japan, which had professed concern about the human rights situation in China, but declined to co-sponsor the resolution with the United States or to lobby vigorously against the no-action motion.
程序上的“不采取行动”由22票赞成、18票反对、12票弃权而被采纳；其中罗马尼亚缺席。维斯切娜批评欧盟、澳大尼亚、加拿大和日本政府，他们都坦承了对中国人权状况的关注，但却拒绝联署美国的该项决议案，并不积极游说反对“不采取行动”的动议。

Weschler said the U.S. deserved credit for putting forward the resolution, and for announcing its decision early this year so that momentum could be gathered. But she criticized the apparent lack of high-level White House involvement -- including by President Clinton himself-- in the lobbying effort.
维斯切娜说美国提呈该项决议案，并为推动该项议案在年初就宣布了此项决定，值得称道。但她批评明显缺少白宫高层包括克林顿总统参与游说的努力。

"The credibility of the U.N. Commission has been seriously damaged by its unwillingness to censure China, or even to discuss its rights performance," said Weschler. "What incentive will Beijing now have to go beyond dialogues and legal exchanges to make serious improvements in its human rights practices?"
“联合国人权委员会的可信赖度因不愿谴责中国甚至不愿讨论它的人权现状而受到了严重的损害，”维斯切娜说，“现在北京有何动机而不得不进行对话与合法交易以认真改善它的人权现状？”

In 1999, a China resolution sponsored by the U.S. and Poland was blocked by a no-action motion, adopted 22 to 17 with 14 abstentions. However, in 1995, a critical resolution on China did come up for debate in Geneva, and lost by only one vote. That year, the European Union and the U.S. both cosponsored the measure, and coordinated a high level campaign on its behalf to counter China's worldwide lobbying to defeat it.
在1999年，美国和波兰提呈的关于中国的决议案被“不采取行动”的动议阻挡，当时22票赞成、17票反对、14票弃权。然而，1995年，一个批评中国的决议案的确在日内瓦（成功地突破了“不采取行动”的动议）得到辩论，最后以一票之差未能通过，那年，欧盟和美国联署了议案，并且为击败中国在世界上的游说而协调进行了高层的游说活动。

（2000年4月18日译稿）