As the Beijing Olympics ended, Amnesty International today accused the Chinese authorities of prioritizing image over substance as it continued to persecute and punish activists and journalists during the Games.
The organization also criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for tarnishing the human rights legacy of the Olympics by turning a blind eye to the abuses.
“The [...]

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IOC and World Leaders Fail to Challenge Great Leap Backward for Rights in China
The hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics has set back the clock for the respect of human rights in the People’s Republic of China, Human Rights Watch said ahead of the Games’ closing ceremony in Beijing on Sunday, August 24. Over the [...]

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TOP Sponsors Should Back Introduction of a Permanent Olympic Rights Monitor The major corporate sponsors of the Beijing Olympics have failed to uphold their own principles of corporate social responsibility, Human Rights Watch said today. Sponsors have failed to speak out – either individually or collectively – about human rights abuses linked to the Beijing [...]

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IOC Should Investigate and Publicize Abuses
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) should turn words into action and immediately establish a reporting mechanism for violations of media freedoms in China, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch and other groups have documented many violations of China’s promise to allow press freedom in exchange for hosting the [...]

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The Chinese government is detaining a rights activist who applied to demonstrate legally in designated “protest zones” established for the Beijing Olympics, Human Rights Watch said today.
Ji Sizun, 58, a self-described grassroots legal activist from Fujian province, was arrested on August 11, 2008. On August 8, Ji had applied to the Deshengmenwai police station in [...]

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Zeng Jinyan (曾金燕), a Beijing-based human rights activist, disappeared on August 7. All attempts to contact her have failed. It is feared that Zeng has been taken into police custody and might be mistreated.
Zeng has been under intermittent residential surveillance for the last two years by police from the National Security Unit under Beijing Public [...]

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How China Censors the Internet and Monitors Your Telecommunications
Foreign journalists reporting on the Olympics and visitors to China may not be fully aware of the risks they pose to themselves and to Chinese citizens with whom they communicate when they discuss issues the Chinese government deems “sensitive”. CHRD’s Alternative Guide to the Olympics (Part II) [...]

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As the Olympic Games open in Beijing on August 8, China stands on high national security alert. The government has turned Beijing into a fortress – with air, navy and ground forces on stand-by – and more than 30,000 surveillance cameras installed throughout the city. The level of military and police presence exceeds even [...]

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Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD – crd-net.org) yesterday released its first China Human Rights Yearbook, which presents a review of some of the most pressing human rights issues facing China as it plays host to a major world event, the 2008 Olympic Games.
The main focus of attention is the situation of women and men who [...]

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Chinese Government, IOC Wasted Historic Opportunity for Reform The 2008 Beijing Olympics will open tainted by a sharp increase in human rights abuses directly linked to China’s preparations for the games, Human Rights Watch said today. The games open on August 8, 2008.
Link to HRW

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