Human Rights Torch Still Burns inside China

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 08:26:00 - Watch video here.

NTDTV

CHAN: Even after Beijing's Olympic flame has extinguished, the Human Rights Torch Relay continues. It's still being passed around underground inside China, and has gotten lots of support from Chinese who had been hoping the CCP would improve its human rights situation. STORY: The Human Rights Torch Relay is a global grassroots campaign to raise awareness of and stop the Chinese regime's human rights abuses. After the Olympics, many Chinese are still unhappy with what they see as the regime having made little or no progress on human rights, despite promises it made. We interviewed some Shanghai residents who are using the Torch Relay to petition for greater rights and freedom. "What we need are human rights and freedom. We hope the government takes more action with less empty talk. Give the Chinese people a stable, peaceful and harmonious living environment." "The UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was signed more than a decade ago. But it's still not approved by the People's Congress. We are supposed to be the owners of the nation. But since we don't have human rights, our property can be taken away easily. For high level Chinese officials, corruption has become part of their culture. It's terrifying." "The government uses suppression rather than laws. They demolish people's houses with force and violence. They don't allow people to complain, either. If they do, they'll be punished." "We welcome the Human Rights Torch Relay to Shanghai! We want freedom! We want human rights! We want houses! We want to live with dignity! Down with the illegal prison system!" Inside China today, the Human Rights Torch takes the form of posters and petitions, since a physical torch could draw attention—and arrests—from Chinese police. Nonetheless, for many Chinese, this symbolic torch can still bring to light the abuses they're suffering under the Communist Party.