Thursday, August 28, 2008

AI: THE OLYMPICS AND THE BATTLE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA

27 August 2008 at 20:22 by Mathew Hulbert

Amnesty UK: IN TERMS of sport and spectacle the Beijing Olympic Games were undoubtedly one of the best ever.

For the Chinese Government the 29th Olympiad were truly an excercise in global good publicity.

But behind every Gold medal win, behind every firework, was the real truth about China.

The massive human rights abuses, the crackdown on normal democratic norms like the Internet and proper journalism.

Add to that the situation with Tibet and it's hard not to believe that these Games, no matter how good they were, will be forever tainted in the minds of everyone, including myself, who puts Human Rights ahead of all else.

Before these games started I called for some athletes to peacefully protest during the games.

To the best of my knowledge that didn't happen.

Some brave members of the public did, however, and deserve the praise of all Amnesty International supporters.

Who can know what punishment(s) they'll have to endure?

The International Community must maintain its gaze on China, for the sake of countless numbers of people who currently wallow on its dark underbelly.

Mathew Hulbert.

Find out more about me at: www.mathewhulbert.blogspot.com

OLYMPIC WATCH: Human Rights in China and Beijing 2008

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