The 2008 Olympics Could Be Marred by China's Human Rights Violations

When China was chosen to host the 2008 Olympics, the Chinese government agreed to not only promote the Olympics, but also human rights as part of the Olympic legacy. Yet with less than a year until the Olympic Games will occur, human rights groups remain skeptical that the government will fulfill its promise.

Amnesty International praised the Chinese government for reform on some human rights issues, but cited the house arrest and constant surveillance of activists in China to be unacceptable.

"The crackdown on human rights defenders and domestic media continues to overshadow more positive reforms with regard to the death penalty and foreign media coverage in China, "said Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan in a press release issued by Amnesty International.

Khan also suggested that increased media scrutiny as the Olympics draw closer has in some instances exacerbated the problem, as China wants to quell any problems that might cast them in an unfavorable light.

"Not only are we not seeing delivery on the promises made that the Olympics would help improve the human rights situation in China, but the police are using the pretext of the Olympics to extend the use of detention without trial," said Khan.

According to the press release, the Chinese government has been detaining suspects without trail as part of a "clean up" program aimed to prevent problems during the 2008 Games. However, Amnesty is quick to point out that China has claimed that they have sought to eliminate arbitrary detention, and it has been on the reform agenda for several years.

The Supreme Court officials have also offered concern on China's death penalty policies. They called for a greater transparency from the Chinese courts and uniform guidelines under which the death penalty could be implemented.

Khan agrees: "The application of the death penalty in China -- the world's top executioner -- remains shrouded in secrecy."

She also suggested in addition to the transparency suggested by the Supreme Court, that China release information on those people facing the death penalty, particularly for lawyers, and publish the national statistics for the death penalty.

Amenesty International has released a report detailing the full compliance of the Chinese government in four key areas: detention without trail, human rights activists, media freedom and the death penalty. The full report is available on their website.

SOURCES:"China: Olympics countdown - human rights abuses risk blighting Olympics legacy" Amnesty International. URL:( http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGASA170372007)