Amnesty slates China over human rights

Keystone

The Swiss section of Amnesty International is to stage a day of action in cities across Switzerland on Wednesday to highlight ongoing human rights abuses in China.

With a year to go until the Beijing Olympics, Amnesty has warned that the games risk being tarnished if the Chinese authorities fail to stop violations.

In a report published on Tuesday, the global watchdog said China had violated pledges to promote human rights made when bidding for next year’s Olympic Games.

The report cited heightened abuse and surveillance of political activists, as well as a crackdown on journalists and domestic media.

It also condemned the continued use of detention without trial as part of Beijing’s “clean up” operations of the city ahead of the 2008 games.

Amnesty added that these abuses were overshadowing more positive reforms concerning the death penalty and foreign media coverage in China.

Swiss activists aim to drive home this message and raise public awareness via a series of sporting events on Thursday in eight cities: Lausanne – home of the International Olympic Committee – Geneva, Fribourg, Bern, Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and Aarau.

Amnesty Switzerland is hoping to collect 20,000 signatures for a petition urging the Chinese authorities to respect human rights in four main areas: the death penalty, human rights activists, media freedom and detention without trial.

The plan is to hand this in to the Chinese embassy in Bern on February 8, exactly six months before the opening of the Olympics.

Free press

“Much of the Swiss population will follow the games and we think it’s important they are aware of the human rights situation [in China],” Amnesty Switzerland’s Marlyse Messer told swissinfo.

“When China was awarded the games in 2001 the government promised human rights improvements. But up until now, while we have seen restrictions eased for foreign journalists, repression has been increasing against the Chinese media. We want a free press for everyone – and not only for foreign sports reporters covering the Olympics.”

Messer added that Amnesty, which has not called for a boycott of the Olympics, sees the event as an opportunity to enter into dialogue with the Chinese authorities on the question of human rights.

She said the eyes of the world would be upon China, which had a “strong interest in protecting its image”.

Amnesty International said on Tuesday that it had sent copies of the report to both the Chinese authorities and the International Olympic Committee.

“Unless the Chinese authorities take urgent measures to stop human rights violations over the coming year, they risk tarnishing the image of China and the legacy of the Beijing Olympics,” Irene Khan, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in a statement.

swissinfo, Adam Beaumont

In brief

On Monday members of the media rights group Reporters Without Borders staged a protest outside the headquarters of the Beijing Olympics planning committee.

The Paris-based group claims the Chinese government has failed to keep promises on improving conditions for journalists ahead of the Olympics.

It says the government blocks access to many overseas websites and that domestic news outlets receive instructions on what stories should not reach the public.

According to Reporters Without Borders, dozens of critical journalists and “cyber dissidents” have been thrown in jail.