As the Olympic torch relay travels to Lhasa, Amnesty International
urged the Chinese government to provide information about those
detained during the protests last March and called
for free access to Tibet by independent observers.
In reaction to a report by Chinese media about the release of 1,157 people who were involved in the Tibet protests last march, Amnesty International said:
“We are encouraged by the news of the release of 1,157 people and we look forward to receiving information about the trials of the 116 people in custody announced by the Chinese authorities.”
As the Olympic torch relay travels to Lhasa, Amnesty International today urged the Chinese government to provide information about the over 1,000 people detained during the protests last March and called for free access to Tibet by independent observers.
Tens of thousands of Amnesty International supporters across the world will tomorrow 4 June demand that the Chinese authorities release dozens of people held in jail since the Tiananmen protests 19 years ago.
Wednesday 4 June 2008 marks the nineteenth anniversary of the Chinese
government's crackdown on the pro-democracy demonstrations in and
around Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
Using the Olympic torch as an excuse to crack down on peaceful critics
is yet another bitter twist in Viet Nam’s pattern of repressing
legitimate and peaceful dissent. Those arrested before and during the
torch relay should be released immediately, said Amnesty International.
At least 1,200 people were executed in 2007 and many more were killed
by the state, in secret, in countries including China, Mongolia and
Viet Nam.
Chinese human rights activist Hu Jia has been convicted of “inciting subversion of state power” and sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Amnesty International today condemned the decision by Chinese authorities to convict human rights defender Hu Jia on charges of ‘inciting subversion of state power'. Hu Jia is being punished for exercising his freedom of expression and speaking out on human rights violations in China. The organization considers Hu Jia a prisoner of conscience and has from the outset opposed his detention and the ‘house arrest’ of his wife and baby.
Liu Jingmin, Vice-President of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, said In 2001 that allowing Beijing to host the Games would “help the development of human rights."
