Mindful of criticism over the lack of free speech during the Beijing Olympics, China has authorised the right of protest in specially designated "protest zones" dotted around Beijing.
They are hidden away in hard-to reach suburbs, seven miles from the main Olympic stadium. There are also rules about who can demonstrate, and what they can demonstrate about.
In order to protest, the "protestee" must apply for a permit at the Beijing Public Security Bureau (PSB) five days before the planned protest. They must fill out an application that specifies the purpose and time of the protest, what will happen during it, the slogans that will be written on banners and posters, the estimated number of protesters and whether megaphones or any form of amplified sound equipment will be used. Foreigners have to go through the same procedure, and make sure their application is in Mandarin.
The protest must also comply with Chinese law on public demonstrations.
Protests that threaten the territorial unity of China are illegal, so protests demanding freedom for Tibet are of course banned.
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China is the world's leading executioner and the biggest jailer of journalists and dissident bloggers. It uses torture and censors the Internet and the media.
ReplyDeleteIt promised that hosting the Olympics would improve human rights:
"By allowing Beijing to host the Games you will help in the development of human rights," that was said by Liu Jingmin, vice-president of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, in 2001.
It has yet to happen.
It isn’t political. Human rights – the right to things like health and shelter to the freedom of expression and religion – are the basis of human life. Standing up for human rights is to stand up for the values enshrined in the Olympic Charter
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