The European Union said it would raise its concerns...

The European Union said it would raise its concerns over China's human rights record, including its frequent use of the death penalty, at this month's annual gathering of the UN Human Rights Commission.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels said in a statement they would urge China to curb executions, abolish torture, reform its detention practices, allow independent trade unions and grant its citizens freedom of expression and religion.
They also urged respect for cultural and religious freedoms in Tibet and in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, which has a large Muslim, Turkic-speaking indigenous population.
The ministers expressed concern that China was using the fear of terror to crush all political dissent in Xinjiang through its so-called "strike-hard" campaign.
"While noting the Chinese government's concerns about alleged acts of terrorism in China, it (the council of ministers) underlined that the fight against terrorism should be pursued with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms," the statement said.
However, the ministers said that China had made some progress on human rights since the last meeting of the United Nations commission, including strengthening the legal training of judges and better protection and care of HIV patients.
The 53-nation United Nations commission began its annual six-week session on March 17 in Geneva.
The commission reviews the state of protection of rights ranging from political and religious freedoms to the use of children for pornography and the torture of prisoners. This year it is widely expected to be overshadowed by the Iraq crisis.
In its statement, the EU made clear it would not present a resolution condemning China's record, but said it would consider backing such a draft if one were drawn up and put to a vote.
China routinely avoids such censure in the UN commission due to the support of developing countries.