Human Rights Watch Urges IOC to Wake up to Reality in China (Commentary)

Finally, someone noticed the elephant in the room. Finally, someone went to the source of this embarrassing drama called the Beijing Olympics. Who gave China this unique opportunity to showcase the fruits of its repression after repeated opportunities to say, thanks, but no thanks?

That's the International Olympic Committee, who's done as much to legitimize the Chinese regime in the eyes of the international community as just about anyone else. Now this monster is about to come to life, and, no matter how much makeup the Chinese government is trying to put on it, the monster is getting uglier and uglier by the day.

And the world is noticing. Human Rights Watch has sent an open letter to Youssoupha Ndiaye, chairman of the IOC’s Ethic Commission, calling into question the Committee’s whistling past the graveyard of the Tibet crack down and other human rights violations in China.

Updates on the Chinese Crack Down in Tibet (7)

German chancellor won't attend Olympics opening ceremony

Olympic torch re-lit amid tight security in Beijing

Regular Chinese kept well off the torch-lighting ceremony

China says it has evidence Dalai Lama incited riots

Tibetans protest in New Delhi, but march is off

Chinese nationalism fuels Tibet crack down

China Forces Tibet off the UN's Human Rights Agenda

Discussion of the situation in Tibet was stifled at the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva on March 24, informs Amnesty International.

Following repeated Chinese protests, the President told NGOs that they could not limit their remarks under the agenda item before the Council to the situation in only one country.

Amnesty International had prepared an oral statement focussing on serious shortcomings in China's commitment in the Vienna Declaration to ensure that persons belonging to the Tibetan minority can exercise fully and effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination.

RSF Urges Olympians to Wear 'Freedom' Badge

Reporters Without Borders would like all those planning to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing to wear a badge with the word “Freedom” in Chinese characters. The press freedom organization has created a series of five badges in the colors of the Olympic rings for this purpose.

Updates on the Chinese Crack Down in Tibet (6)

Monks protest upstages China's PR tour

Many Chinese outraged by Western media coverage of Tibet

Eyewitnesses recount terrifying day in Tibet

Protests throughout the world in support of Tibet (photo gallery)

Bush expresses concern about Tibet to Chinese

Article 19 Urges Dialogue on Tibet Conflict

Article 19 condemns the Chinese authorities’ brutal crackdown on Tibetans in Lhasa and the imposition of restrictions and controls on freedom of expression, freedom of the press and the free flow of information.

BBC Website Unblocked in China

People in China are able to access English language stories on the BBC News website in full, after years of strict control by Beijing. The Communist authorities often block news sites such as the BBC in a policy dubbed the "great firewall of China".

FCCC Urges Greater Media Access to Tibetan Areas

According to the Foreign Correspondents Club of China (FCCC), Chinese authorities have arranged a trip to Tibet from March 26-28 for a small group of international media. This brief, tightly managed trip falls far short of fulfilling China's promise, made during its bid for the 2008 Olympic Games, of free media reporting.

An Insulting Response by Greek Authorities (Commentary)

Reporters without Borders informs us that three of their representatives have been charged with “insulting national symbols” after interrupting the official ceremony of the lighting of the Olympic torch in Greece in protest against the Chinese crack down in Tibet.

Most French Favor Boycott of Olympic Opening Ceremony

Reporters Without Borders asked the CSA to carry out a survey of more than 900 people on March 19 and 20 on their attitude to the Beijing Olympics.