Olympic Promises Not Fulfilled?
Six months from now, the Beijing Summer Olympics will begin and Reporters Without Borders is concerned that Chinese authorities have not made good on promises they made to improve human rights conditions there and grant "total press freedom" before and during the festival.
About 80 journalists and Internet users are currently imprisoned in China and some have been detained since the 1980s, the watchdog group said this week. The government also blocks access to thousands of Web sites and the cyber-police watch Internet users closely. Meanwhile, 180 foreign reporters were arrested, attacked or threatened in China in 2007.
"The repression is continuing without any let-up, sidelining all those who dare to call for concrete improvements before the start of the games," the group said in a statement. Blogger Hu Jia, for example, is being held on a charge of "inciting subversion of state power" despite global protests.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus