NYT: Human Rights Watch Says Conditions in China Worsen as Olympics Near

[DeepModem Mom]

Rights Group Says Conditions in China Worsen as Olympics Near
By JOSEPH KAHN
Published: January 13, 2007

BEIJING, Jan. 12 — Human rights conditions in China deteriorated last year even as China sought to portray itself as an increasingly open, modern society ahead of the 2008 Olympics, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Friday.

The government’s promise to establish an impartial legal system remains unfulfilled, while at least 100 advocates of greater openness, including lawyers, writers, academics and grass-roots organizers, have faced prosecution, house arrest, beatings or other forms of harassment, the group said.

Propaganda officials have also placed restrictions on domestic news media, while investing ever greater resources in censoring online information that the leadership deems harmful to political stability....

Beijing promised in its bid for the Games that it would work to improve its human rights record. It also vowed to open its doors wider, allowing a freer flow of information into and out of the country.

China has fulfilled some aspects of that commitment. It announced new rules that would let reporters for foreign news media travel freely and interview people or companies without prior approval of local government authorities. But domestic critics say the space for them to express contrarian views, including online forums and Web sites, has shrunk....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/13/world/asia/13rights.html

[Mythsaje]

1. China has never been a beacon of human rights

when you get right down to it.

That may change as its economic impact on the world grows, but the Chinese people haven't reached the point where they're willing to make the sacrifices necessary to fight for their freedom.

[Coventina]

2. Gee, what a surprise

:sarcasm:

[goforit]

3. The big bad China policy on human rights. US human rights are just peachy!

Pathetic propaganda.
True probably, but if we as a country can not clean up our own act,
then we can just shut the hell up!

Thank you Mr. KAHN!

[BayCityProgressive]

4. perhaps before

the Olympics come back to the US we should have to fix our human rights record. Largest percentage of people in prison, death penalty, personal liberties such as privacy and right to an attorney stripped through signing statements and patriot act, free elections with UN observers, diversity in the media ect ect ect. What a pathetic piece of propaganda trash.