China 'betraying' Olympics with human rights violations

Published on Tuesday 29 July 2008 10:40

CHINA has failed to improve human rights in the run up to the Beijing Olympics and risks "permanently sullying" the legacy of the Games, Amnesty International said today.

A damning report by Amnesty accuses the Chinese authorities of giving empty reassurances over human rights.

Amnesty's UK campaigns director Tim Hancock said: "The Chinese authorities have broken the promises they made when they were granted the Olympics.

"They told the world that the Olympics would help bring human rights to China, but the government continues to persecute those who speak out for human rights.

"The Olympic values have been betrayed by the Chinese government. They must release all imprisoned peaceful activists, allow foreign and national journalists to report freely and make further progress towards the elimination of the death penalty – or risk permanently sullying the legacy of the Olympics."

The report focuses on persecution of human rights activists, detention without trial, censorship and the death penalty.

It says most of these have deteriorated in the run up to the Olympics.