Forty athletes taking part in the games have written an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao, expressing their concerns about Tibet.
The signatories to the letter, which was sent to the International Herald Tribune newspaper, include Cuban hurdler Dayron Robles, Croatian world high jump champion Blanka Vlasic, and US 400 metres runner DeeDee Trotter.
Olympic athletes have been given a warning about expressing political opinions and protesting in China as the communist country prepares to open the Games tonight.
International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge says the rules on athletes expressing their political opinions are clear.
"The athletes have the full right of course to express their views outside of accredited zones," he said.
"They can express their views the way they wish while respecting the laws of the country where they are.
Buddhists arrested after Kathmandu anti-China protest
Security forces in Nepal have broken up a demonstration in Kathmandu by about 2,000 Buddhists angry about China's policies in Tibet.
The protesters chanted religious mantras and accused Beijing of suppressing religious freedom in Tibet.
About 500 people were arrested after security forces moved in to disperse the crowd.
There have been regular protests by Tibetan exiles in Nepal since China suppressed demonstrations in Tibet in March.
Rights group hijacks Chinese radio frequency
A human rights group has broken China's tight control of the media by broadcasting a radio show calling for freedom of expression in Beijing.
The pirate broadcast happened exactly 12 hours before the Olympic Games opening ceremony begins.
Using FM transmitters, the group Reporters Without Borders sent out a 20-minute program in French, Chinese and English slamming the Communist Government's control of the media and free expression.
"It's our way of saying to them, despite everything you do, here are the voices of people you want to silence and they are speaking, in the heart of Beijing on the very first day of the Olympics," a spokesman said.
It is not known how many people were able to listen to the program.
The group says it was the first broadcast by a radio station not controlled by China's Government since the Communists took power in 1949.
Related:
Australia to sign up to anti-torture treaty
Things like the Death Penalty, Genocide, Water boarding, Rendition, Terror, False Flag Ops, Propaganda, War on Witches, State-Terror, Selling Human Body Parts of Executed Prisoners, Occupation of Sovereign Nation States, Pre-emptive Strikes on Sovereign Nation States, No Freedom After Speech, Killing Their Opposition Political Party Leaders and Media, Inhibiting or Killing Freedom of the Press, Inhibiting Internet Freedom, Conspiracy Theories, and Govenment Propaganda by Corporate Media etc...
Falun Gong's Olympic 'call for justice'
About 100 protesters from the Falun Gong have gathered in Sydney's CBD calling for greater scrutiny of China's labour camps during the Olympics. The Falun Gong say about 8,000 of their members in China have been arrested since December in crackdown leading up to the games.
Before the Olympics, 'Free Tibet'
A "Free Tibet" activist group will screen an advertisement urging Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to speak to the Chinese leadership about finding a solution for Tibet during his visit to the Olympics in Beijing.
American Foreign Policy Brought to You by China: Advisers to Obama, McCain Tied to US Multinationals that Profit from Beijing
President Bush is heading to China this week, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Summer Olympics on Friday. The Games’ presence in Beijing have helped spotlight opposition to China on a number of policies, including its repression of the Tibetan independence movement, its support for the Sudanese government in Darfur and its crackdown on dissidents and civil liberties at home. In the latest issue of Harper’s Magazine, Ken Silverstein says many of the bipartisan experts who have advocated so-called “constructive engagement” with China are tied to major US multinational corporations that profit heavily from the Chinese market.
Rudd to raise China Olympic censorship
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd says he will raise concerns with the Chinese Government about internet censorship during the Olympics. Chinese authorities are blocking sensitive websites used by the international media and are using spyware to monitor internet use in hotels used by journalists and other visitors to the Games.
China's human rights worse: Amnesty
Human rights group Amnesty International has released a scathing assessment of China's human rights record since it was awarded the right to host next month's Olympic Games seven years ago.
No comments:
Post a Comment