8/01/2008

china rights

News Asia-Pacific

Olympics 'worsening China rights'

Amnesty warned that violations may worsen after the games [GALLO/GETTY]

Human rights group Amnesty International has accused China of breaking a pledge to improve its rights record when it was picked to host the Olympic games.

The group said the government's rights record had in fact worsened, using the games as a pretext to crack down on thousands of activists as part of a campaign to "clean up" Beijing before next week's event.

Amnesty issued a report documenting China's rights violations on Monday and urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and political leaders to openly challenge Beijing on the matter.

IOC blamed

It blamed the IOC for failing to put more pressure on China and for "sending a message that it is acceptable for a government to host the Olympic games in an atmosphere characterised by repression and persecution".

The damning assessment comes just over a week before the Olympics kicks off on August 8, in what China hopes will be a grand showcase of its achievements.

Chinese and Olympic officials have said the Beijing games would help expand freedoms in the communist country but the government has instead used it to muzzle critics in the hope of presenting an image of a harmonious society, Amnesty said in its report.

"Unless the authorities make a swift change of direction, the legacy of the Beijing Olympics will not be positive for human rights in China," it said.

The damning report comes just over a week before the Olympics kicks off [AFP]

"In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics."

The report documents the use of a "re-education through labour" law to control various types of "offending behaviour" and arbitrary detention for "illegal activities that tarnish the city's image and affect the social order".

It said activists who linked their cause to the games were singled out for action while many others were detained, imprisoned or placed under house arrest.

China has also "increasingly tightened" internet censorship and regulation ahead of the Olympics with journalists at the media centre unable to access certain websites, it said.

"It is very disturbing that Chinese authorities have indulged in such a big crackdown on the activists," Mark Allison, a China researcher for Amnesty, said in Hong Kong.

"These are people who represent many, many more people in China."

The group warned that the pattern of serious human rights violations could "continue or intensify" after the conclusion of the games when China is no longer in the international spotlight.

It urged China to release all prisoners of conscience, stop the arbitrary detention of activists and dissenters, impose a moratorium on the death penalty, allow complete media freedom and account for those killed or detained in Tibet in recent unrest there.

Source: Agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 17
Sipan
Armenia
29/07/2008



Blame Game..



why is everyone blaming China so much. It wasnt China who turned the world upside down these past 9 years. It is America that should be slapped on the wrist. China has been improving and helping many people. I was very proud of Al-Jazeera before, but now I am seeing that its news is now biased against China. Why so? I am very unimpressed. Thank you.

Tilman PorschΓΌtz
Korea (South)
29/07/2008



Facing truth is like drinking milk



News report what is going one. But, what is missing, is any kind of response. To me the olympic idea is one of the most effective cover-ups in history. A perfect event, where the leaders of this world, decide who can join their glory, do some blaming before. Because after all, olympic games are supposed to halt war for the time being, and than celebrate the achievements in the aftermath. Or rather harvest the fruits of all that propaganda effort. Olympics and World Cup are good.

onix
Netherlands
29/07/2008



aboriginals



In australia the situation worsened before olympics (?). This campaign for human and tibet rights is predictable, from the moment Peking was choosen. Unfortunately the argument is loosing credibility. Amnesty and other western organisations use a very one-sided aproach. The scale of events and deads in places like irak, the balkan, afghanistan, somalia etc. would otherways see them speak out against western repression , through militairy violence on a relevant scale. (a *lot*)

eamon
Spain
29/07/2008



The Olympics and big money



The only reason(virtually) why China has been awarded these games is MONEY. The Games mean zillions of dollars for , you name them. Examples: all the sports firms(Addidas,Nike,etc) The multinational drinks firms(Coca Cola,Pepsi Cola etc)You can add to the list. In China itself zillions have been made by the people involved with the construction of all that has anything to do with the Games. "The Games bring understanding among the different nations" Yeah!. But nothing to the man in the street!

Mike
Canada
29/07/2008



Its too bad...



Human rights violations, extreme pollution, media/press oppression, can't bring your kids to events, can't wear simular colors (ie. Team Canada stuff) and the worries of some radical group seeking attention by doing something horrible... You couldn't pay me enough to attend the beijing Olympics in China. No how, no way. Which is horrible as I'd love to see the Olympics, just wrong place, wrong time. eh.

Shar
United States
29/07/2008



Human Rights



Yes China is a major violator of basic human rights, but not unlike most Arab countries in the way they treat women or most of European countries in the way they treat immigrants. Clean your own houses, we all have our problems. I do not agree with a boycott of the games, only of the commercialism. Do not buy the products retail.

Dan
United Kingdom
30/07/2008



Olympics and freedoms



Hi Fouad, you asked "Will they ask the UK to lift the immunity of the police, social services and other oppressive branches of the government?" There is no immunity for ANYONE in the UK. If they commit an unlawful act they will be put before a court of law and the case tried before a Judge and Jury of peers. I agree that Amnesty International SHOULD make those calls though, even if only to bring the debate into the public eye.

Fouad
Netherlands
29/07/2008



Olympics



Will Amnesty International ask the UK to withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan if they're still in those countries at the next olympics? Will Amnesty ask for the UK to prosecute Blair and Hoon for their crimes? Will they ask the UK to lift the immunity of the police, social services and other oppressive branches of the government? Will they ask the UK to accept basic human rights? I hope they do these things because the UK also needs freedom and human rights.

Lily
China
29/07/2008







I agree Sipan. Indeed, China is a country who loves peace the most in the world. The Chinese government has made great efforts for the human right and the development in economy of the world. And now, it is still doing its best to host the Beijing Olympic Games.

Tim Rennie
Canada
29/07/2008



Why would one ever defend human rights violators? Even in relative terms.



While the UK may be involved in an unpopular war,it still allows its citizens to protest without fear of violence or imprisonment.The issue is not foreign policy, but human rights.Surely a government which doesn't respect the rights of its OWN people is not worthy of hosting.Fouad(Netherlands), your analogy is false,the point is that China has hijacked the event as a means of intensifying violations.You shouldn't let your disdain for the UK's democratic government cloud your disdain for tyranny.

Tim Rennie
Canada
29/07/2008



Furthermore



I would like to add, it seems to me you have no first hand experience of life in the UK, but I can assure you social services like the NHS are far from oppressive branches of government. Can you elaborate on what you might mean? How you can say that a nation which virtually invented basic human rights (magna carta), a nation whose politcal satire (a true mark the free) is second to none, is lacking them on a par with one of the most notorious violators in modern history, escapes me entirely.

andar1000
Colombia
29/07/2008



Human Rights



Funny that you would report on the human rights reports on China that come out at the same time that the Palestinians were blasted by the same group for torture and you fail to mention anything on your website. Stop being so bieased.

Kevin
United States
29/07/2008



Boycott



What on Earth is wrong with all of you? China's silencing of dissent is in itself a terrible violation of human rights. What about their support of the regime in Khartoum? Agreed that other countries, including my own have had serious human rights abuses as well, and they are in fact condemned by Amnesty. In the end, my country (the US) ought to refuse participation in these games along with all other nations in order not to support further abuse of rights and liberties.

LN
Iran
29/07/2008



china human rights



I agree with Kevin (US). china even defends Sudan in the UN. it is ridiculous to say that china is a supporter of human rights. they are one of the biggest human rights violaters of all time, along with the US, the UK, France, Israel and all other super powers. In fact, practically every government violates human rights (like my own!), either in their own country or in others. Just because amnesty may not criticize the US in Iraq, or Israel in Palestine, it doesn't mean we should ignore china.

Rafael Peres
Brazil
29/07/2008



"China has been improving and helping many people."



Really? So please tell me why the Chinese Government is supporting the Genocide in Darfur and occupating Tibet?

johncane
Sierra Leone
29/07/2008



ridiculous



it's very riduculous for kevin in United States to call for US and other countries to boycott the games. do you know the meaning of olympics, do you konw the spirit of olympics. and do you have right to blame others when you cannot do it well yourself. and i agree with Sipan and feel disappointed with aljazeera for its bias against China.

Katerina Andreou
United States
30/07/2008



Chinas Human Rights



The world keeps appeasing China, which does not improve its human rights, but serves as an incentive for more repressive measures. The U.S. continuously grants MFN trade status, (which with our outstanding debt owned by them, we must), as they send us defective and unsafe products, pirate copyrighted materials and thumb their noses at us. THe IOCC should have known better, and put some restrictions or conditions on giving them the games. Stop coddling them!

fuck china

China Human Rights Fact Sheet

March 1995

Human rights violations in the People's Republic of China (PRC) remain systematic and widespread. The Chinese government continues to suppress dissenting opinions and maintains political control over the legal system, resulting in an arbitrary and sometimes abusive judicial regime. The lack of accountability of the government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) means that abuses by officials often go unchecked. This fact sheet identifies the most common types of abuses, including arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners, severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association and violations specific to women.

  1. Controls on Expressions and Associations
  2. Torture and Ill-Treatment of Prisoners
  3. Lackof Judicial Independance and Due Process
  4. Death Penalty
  5. Tibet
  6. Women
  7. Resource List

Controls on Expressions and Associations

The PRC detains individuals for exercising their rights to freedom of association, freedom of religion and freedom of expression, including the right to impart and receive information, and other basic rights. The total number of persons in China detained without charge, sentenced administratively to reeducation or reform camps, or held by other means, solely for peacefully exercising these rights is unknown. However, that figure is estimated to be far in excess of the approximately 3,000 individuals that the PRC currently acknowledges imprisoning for "counter-revolutionary" or political crimes. Many of those detained are held under circumstances that constitute clear violations of due process. Such violations include lengthy detention without charge or trial and depriving defendants of access to legal counsel.

Restrictions on Independent Organizing: Although the Chinese Constitution guarantees freedom of association and assembly, national regulations severely limit association and give the authorities absolute discretion to deny applications for public gatherings or demonstrations. In practice, only organizations that are approved by the authorities are permitted to exist, and any organization that is not registered is considered "illegal." In this manner, independent advocacy on labor, human rights, environmental, development or political issues is effectively outlawed. The CCP-controlled labor union and women and youth organizations are the only permitted avenues for organizing in these areas. Unofficial labor groups have been a particular target for suppression. In December 1994, the Beijing Intermediate People's Court imposed severe sentences of between 15 and 20 years' imprisonment on three prisoners of conscience, convicted of "leading counter-revolutionary organizations." The sentences, based on the defendants' alleged formation of non-government-approved organizations, were the harshest delivered to political dissidents in recent years.

On 4 June, 1994, the fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, China promulgated new implementing regulations for the 1993 State Security Law. The repressive new measures threaten the few legal means of operation left to democracy and human rights activists, independent religious adherents and other independent voices, by criminalizing: contact with and funding from foreign organizations defined as "hostile"; the publication or dissemination of "written or verbal speeches" or "using religion" to carry out activities "which endanger state security;" and the creation of "national disputes." The regulations also give state security officials virtually unlimited power to detain individuals, confiscate property and determine what constitutes a "hostile" organization.

Restrictions on Free Speech and the Media: Although the PRC's 1982 Constitution guarantees citizens freedom of expression and of the press, its preamble mandates adherence to "four basic principles"-- the CCP's leadership, socialism, dictatorship of the proletariat and Marxism-Leninism Mao Zedong Thought. In practice, the PRC employs a wide range of controls that violate the right to free expression and interfere with independent media. These include severe restrictions on contact between foreign news media and Chinese viewed by the government as critical of the regime. An extensive censorship bureaucracy licenses all media outlets and publishing houses and must approve all books before publication.

The primary mechanism of control over the news media and publishing is self-censorship. Chinese journalists, editors and publishers are expected to make the information they disseminate conform to CCP Propaganda Department guidelines. For example, news coverage is required to be "80% positive and 20% negative." Sanctions for infringements range from official criticism of the coverage to the demotion, firing or imprisonment of the individuals responsible and the closing or banning of the offending publication.

Dissidents who make their opinions known to the foreign media are often subject to threats, detention, harassment, intensive surveillance or imprisonment. During 1994, at least 20 Chinese writers, journalists, editors and publishers were persecuted in connection with their work. Also during the year, foreign correspondents from the British Broadcasting Corporation, Newsweek, Reuters, United Press International, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, U.S. television networks (NBC, CBS) and other foreign media outfits were detained and interrogated by PRC police regarding their work as journalists, including the interviewing of Chinese dissidents and students and filming in Tiananmen Square. Police also banned broadcasts of CNN in Beijing hotels for five days surrounding the fifth anniversary of the 4 June 1989 military crackdown on democracy demonstrators.

Suppression of Religious Freedom: The PRC prohibits all religious activities outside establishments registered under the official branches of four state-recognized religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity and Islam), established by the PRC government during the 1950s, through which Chinese and Tibetan religious adherents are required to practice their faith. Individuals conducting or participating in public worship without government authorization, including Catholics loyal to the Vatican and Protestants who worship in house churches, have been arrested, detained, placed under close police surveillance or internal exile, fined and, in some cases, tortured. PRC police have also confiscated religious literature and church property, and human rights organizations have documented the closure of hundreds of house churches since 1989.

China's laws restricting contact with foreign coreligionists, prohibiting parents from exposing children under the age of 18 to religion, and outlawing nongovernment-controlled churches violate the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. In January 1994, the PRC government increased restrictions on religious practice by foreigners in China through State Council Decrees 144 and 145. Decree 144 states that foreign nationals may bring in religious materials only "for their own use," and bans materials deemed "harmful to the public interest." The decree also prohibits evangelizing, establishing religious schools and other missionary activities. Decree 145 gives authorities substantial leeway in restricting religious activities deemed harmful to "national unity" or "social stability," and limits the practice of religion by foreign nationals to state-sanctioned places of worship.

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Torture and Ill-Treatment of Prisoners

Torture of detainees is endemic in Chinese detention centers and prisons. Although China became party to the UN Convention Against Torture in 1988, the government has not taken effective measures to diminish the risk of prisoners being tortured or ill-treated. Despite strong evidence of torture in several cases of death in custody, state prosecutors have refused to release autopsy results to families or to initiate investigations. In many detention centers, beatings, inadequate food and poor hygiene appear to be a routine part of the process of eliciting confessions and compliance from detainees. Such treatment is applied to ordinary prisoners as well as political detainees.

According to prisoner reports, methods commonly used by guards include: beatings using electric batons; rubber truncheons on hands and feet; long periods in handcuffs and/or leg irons, often tightened so as to cause pain; restriction of food to starvation levels; and long periods in solitary confinement. Furthermore, corrupt authorities at detention centers, prisons and labor camps have extorted large sums of money from families of detainees for the state's provision of "daily supplies" and "medical expenses."

Despite continuing efforts by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations, PRC officials have not agreed to allow open and unannounced visits to prisoners. PRC authorities acknowledge that there are some 1.2 million prisoners and detainees in China.

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Lack of Judicial Independance and Due Process

Few legal safeguards exist in China to ensure fair trials, and the judicial system is controlled at every level by CCP political-legal committees that may determine the outcome of cases before the court hears evidence presented at trial. Legal scholars within China have called for an end to this widespread practice of "verdict first, trial second." With the political-legal committees exercising extensive control, detainees are highly unlikely to receive fair, impartial hearings that are free from official manipulation.

China's Criminal Procedure Law provides for detainees to have access to lawyers no later than one week before trial. However, even this minimal protection is not always observed. Prisoners typically cannot call witnesses for the defense or question witnesses against them. In politically sensitive cases, lawyers have been instructed that they may enter a not-guilty plea only if they get approval from the judicial administration. Even in death-penalty cases, appeals are usually cursory, and defendants may have only several days to file an appeal.

Arbitrary Detention: In addition to judicial convictions, PRC authorities consistently use administrative procedures to detain hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Tibetans each year.

Individuals sentenced administratively by police are not charged or brought before a judge, thereby denying them access to a lawyer and the right to defend themselves. The majority of these individuals are ordinary people, but democracy and human rights activists, independent religious adherents and worker-rights advocates are also frequently detained in this way.

The most common forms of administrative detention are:

1) "reeducation through labor," under which police, without trial, can send individuals to labor camps for up to four years; and

2) "shelter and investigation," under which police can detain people without charge or trial for up to three months, a time limit that is routinely ignored.

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has determined that the practice of "reeducation through labor" is "inherently arbitrary" when intended for "political and cultural rehabilitation." According to PRC government sources, 100,000 people are sent to "reeducation through labor" camps and one million are "sheltered" each year.

Conditional Releases with Continued Deprivation of Rights: The PRC infrequently has released political prisoners of conscience before the completion of their sentences, predominantly as a result of international pressure. However, those released have been forced into exile, subjected to continuing police surveillance and harassment or, in some cases, detained again for alleged violations of the restrictive conditions of parole or new "crimes" of free expression. Many former prisoners of conscience are not granted the identity cards necessary to gain employment or travel without express official permission.

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Death Penalty

During the past two years, there has been a dramatic increase in the use of the death penalty in China. This growth in the number of death sentences and executions is partly due to anti-crime campaigns launched by the government. Defendants can be put to death for criminal offenses, including nonviolent property crimes such as theft, embezzlement and forgery. In 1993, 77% of all executions worldwide were carried out in China. On a single day, 9 January 1993, 356 death sentences were handed down by Chinese courts; 62 executions took place that day. During that year alone, 2,564 people were sentenced to death. At least 1,419 of them are known to have been executed. The total number of death sentences and executions is believed to be higher. Defendants do not always have access to lawyers, and when a lawyer is available, he or she usually has no more than one or two days to prepare a defense. Death sentences have been imposed based on forced confessions and are often decided in advance of the trial by "adjudication committees," thereby circumventing defendants' rights to a fair and public hearing and presumption of innocence.

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Tibet

In Tibet, hundreds of Tibetans have been incarcerated for peacefully expressing their political and religious beliefs. Conditions in prisons are reported to be dismal, with numerous accounts of torture and ill-treatment. In particular, PRC law enforcement officials have perpetrated violent acts against Tibetan women in detention centers and prisons. Buddhist nuns and lay women have been subject to torture or violent, degrading and inhuman treatment, including assault, rape and sexual abuse. In June 1994, one Tibetan nun died while in custody, reportedly as a result of a beating by guards. PRC authorities also have severely restricted religious practice; out of the 6,000 Buddhist monasteries that were destroyed by the PRC since its 1949 invasion of Tibet, only a few hundred have been rebuilt.

PRC policies, including population transfers of hundreds of thousands of Chinese into Tibet, threaten to make Tibetans a minority in their own land and to destroy Tibetans' distinct national, religious and cultural identity.

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Women

The Chinese Constitution and other laws provide equal rights for men and women in all spheres of life, including ownership of property, inheritance and educational opportunities. Equality between the sexes has been a part of the CCP's agenda from its early days, and women's rights are perceived to be in a separate category from human rights. Therefore, women's organizations in China, even though they remain under CCP control, are able to advocate effectively on some issues involving abuses of women's human rights. However, when women's rights or interests conflict with Party or government policy, the latter takes precedence. This means, for example, that abuses related to the family planning policy are not reported in the media or discussed publicly. Information about other issues, such as the extent of domestic violence, trafficking in women or abuses directed at lesbians, is effectively prevented by the CCP's injunction that most news should be positive. Thus, the controls on freedom of expression and association, which so affect democracy and human rights activists, have a strong impact on women's human rights as well.

Violence Against Women: According to some researchers, spousal abuse is far too common and, in many parts of the country, still socially acceptable. However, comprehensive statistics about the extent of domestic violence are not available or have not been made public. The official All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) has been studying this problem and seeking solutions.

Few battered women have the opportunity to escape abuse, because shelters and other resources are not available. Women are under considerable social pressure to keep families together regardless of the circumstances. Legal action is not taken against batterers unless the victim initiates it, and if she withdraws her testimony, the proceedings are ended.

Abduction and Trafficking of Women: Trafficking and sale of women as brides or into prostitution is a serious problem in certain parts of China, and Chinese women have been sold into brothels in Southeast Asia. The PRC government has enacted various laws to combat the sale of women, but the statistics released by the government do not reliably indicate the scale of the problem. PRC officials stated that there were 15,000 cases of kidnapping and trafficking in women and children in 1993. Yet according to one estimate, 10,000 women were abducted and sold in 1992 in Sichuan Province alone.

Until recently, the authorities have not prosecuted men who purchase women as wives; thus, the trade has continued unabated. Official action to rescue victims of trafficking is generally initiated only if a complaint is made by the woman or her family. Local officials often turn a blind eye, even formally registering marriages into which the woman has been sold.

Discrimination in Employment and Education: The PRC ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1980 and enacted the Law on the Protection of Women's Rights and Interests in 1992. However, open discrimination against women in China has continued to grow during the period of reform of the last 15 years.

According to PRC government surveys, women's salaries have been found to average 77% of men's, and most women employed in industry work in low-skill and low-paying jobs. An estimated 70 to 80% of workers laid off as a result of downsizing in factories have been women, and, although women make up 38% of the work force, they are 60% of the unemployed. At job fairs, employers openly advertise positions for men only, and university campus recruiters often state that they will not hire women. Employers justify such discrimination by saying that they cannot afford the benefits they are required to provide for pregnant women, nursing mothers and infants.

The proportion of women to men declines at each educational tier, with women comprising some 25% of undergraduates in universities. Institutions of higher education that have a large proportion of female applicants, such as foreign language institutes, have been known to require higher entrance exam grades from women.

Although China has a law mandating compulsory primary education, increasing numbers of rural girls are not being sent to school. Rural parents often do not want to "waste" money on school fees for girls who will "belong" to another family when they marry. According to official statistics, about 70% of illiterates in China are female.

Violations Resulting from Family Planning Policy: The Chinese Constitution mandates the duty of couples to practice family planning. Since 1979, the central government has attempted to implement a family planning policy in China and Tibet that the government states is "intended to control population quantity and improve its quality." Central to this initiative is the "one child per couple" policy. Central authorities have verbally condemned the use of physical force in implementing the one-child policy; however, its implementation is left to local laws and regulations.

To enforce compliance, local authorities employ incentives such as medical, educational and housing benefits, and punishments including fines, confiscation of property, salary cuts or even dismissal. Officials also may refuse to issue residence cards to "out of plan" children, thereby denying them education and other state benefits.

Methods employed to ensure compliance have also included the forced use of contraceptives, primarily the I.U.D., and forced abortion for pregnant women who already have one child. In Zheijang Province, for example, the family planning ordinance states that "fertile couples must use reliable birth control according to the provisions. In case of pregnancies in default of the plan, measures must be taken to terminate them." As an official "minority", Tibetans are legally allowed to have more than one child. However, there have been reports of forced abortions and sterilizations of Tibetan women who have had only one child. There are also reports of widespread sterilization of certain categories of women, including those suffering from mental illness, retardation and communicable or hereditary diseases. Under previous local regulations superseded by the 1994 Maternal and Infant Health Care Law, such sterilization was mandatory in certain provinces. Under the new law, certain categories of people still may be prevented from bearing children.

Violations Against Female Children: The one-child policy, in conjunction with the traditional preference for male children, has led to a resurgence of practices like female infanticide, concealment of female births and abandonment of female infants. Female children whose births are not registered do not have any legal existence and therefore may have difficulty going to school or receiving medical care or other state services. The overwhelming majority of children in orphanages are female and/or mentally or physically handicapped.

The one-child policy has also contributed to the practice of prenatal sex identification resulting in the abortion of female fetuses. Although the government has outlawed the use of ultrasound machines for this purpose, physicians continue the practice, especially in rural areas. Thus, while the average worldwide ratio of male to female newborns is 105/100, Chinese government statistics show that the ratio in the PRC is 114/100 and may be higher in some areas.

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This fact sheet was prepared by the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights. It is based on information provided by Amnesty International-USA, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights, Human Rights in China, the International Campaign for Tibet, the Puebla Institute and the RFK Memorial Center for Human Rights. The accompanying resource list provides contact information for these organizations.


RESOURCE LIST

Amnesty International-USA

prengel@aiusa.usa.com

304 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20003

TEL: 202/544-0200 FAX: 202/546-7142

Contact:

  • Pat Rengel, Legislative Counsel
  • Estrellita Jones, Government Program Officer/Asian Affairs

Committee to Protect Journalists

cpj@igc.apc.org

330 Seventh Avenue, 12th Floor

New York, NY 10001

TEL: 212/465-1004 FAX: 212/465-9568

Contact

  • Vikram Parekh, Regional Coordinator for Asia

Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights

fxbcen@harvarda.harvard.edu

Harvard School of Public Health

8 Story Street

Cambridge, MA 02138

TEL: 617/496-4370

FAX: 617/496-4380

Contact

  • Sofia Gruskin, Research Associate
  • Reed Boland, Harvard Law School (617/495-9623)

Human Rights in China

hrichina@igc.org

485 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10017

TEL: 212/661-2909

FAX: 212/972-0905

Contact

  • Xiao Qiang, Executive Director
  • Sophia Woodman, Publications Director

Human Rights Watch/Asia

hrwnyc@hrw.org

485 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10017

TEL: 212/972-8400

FAX: 212/972-0905

Contact

  • Sidney Jones, Executive Director
  • Mickey Spiegel, Consultant

Return to SDC Homepage

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Type:
Description:
It is vital that the international community asks why Beijing will not allow foreign journalists free access to Tibet in the run up to and during the 2008 Olympics? What is Beijing hiding in Tibet?

In the run up to the 2008 Olympics, the international press will be free to report from 'all over China': but not in Tibet or neighbouring Xinjiang. So is this a surprise? Sadly not. To bag the Olympics Beijing promised there would be press freedom 'all over China'. The gullible International Olympic Committee believed them but, for many, the outcome was never in doubt. The Olympic press freedoms will never apply in Tibet - unless we take action now.

An atmosphere of repression and censorship continues to surround the media and free-flow of information in China. Local Chinese journalists remain under constant threat. Even the global cyber players caved in. Try googling in China for Taiwan, Tiananmen or Tibet.

The opportunity that the Olympics brings to foreign journalists to interview individuals freely all over China has been denied in Tibet. Again the Tibetans have been betrayed with another promise broken in the full sight of the international community. Why does Beijing want to hide Tibet from the world? And why does the world turn a blind eye?

Our job is to make the truth heard - to tell the world what Beijing is hiding in Tibet. We have to keep Tibet in the media. We can do this with more resources and funds: but we need your help urgently.

What would foreign journalists hear if they were allowed to travel and interview freely in Tibet? They would sense the palpable climate of fear in which Tibetans live. They would witness the dead hand of the occupation with its pernicious tentacles, worming into every part of Tibetan life. They would understand the resentment and despair many Tibetans feel as their Tibet slowly disappears. They would hear the hostile invective directed towards Tibetans' revered leader, the Dalai Lama.

They would hear how political prisoners endure years of sustained torture in the prisons. Barbaric practices are used on those as young as 13 years old, such as electric charges on sensitive body parts, beatings with pipes, canes and thick leather belts with heavy metal buckles. This continues today: a recent UN report concluded torture remains 'widespread' in Tibet and China.

They would learn about Beijing's sustained attack on Buddhism, which is the wellspring of Tibetans' identity. Officially, Beijing says that Tibetans are free to practise their religion. But on the ground, talking freely to individuals, foreign journalists would see the lie to this as Beijing maintains a sustained attack on Buddhism by imposing control and conditions on religion.

The new hardline Party Secretary, Zhang Qingli, has intensified 'patriotic education' in the monasteries with all the monks being pressured to denounce the Dalai Lama. Spy monks are infiltrated into the religious centres so that 'with two informers at the Monastery, it's difficult to talk freely'. Monasteries that get too big are simply cut down to size.

These, and many other aspects of Tibetan life, are what Beijing wants to hide. Clearly, its wish to hide the brutal realities of its occupation of Tibet overrides their binding agreements with the International Olympic Committee.

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DOZENS KILLED IN TIBET RIOTS