The Olympic prisoners

From Mail&Guardian

The Olympic Games have their anthem, their rings, their heroes and their sponsors. And now, with the Beijing 2008 Games, they have their prisoners.

The Chinese government is not just building fine stadiums, it is also arresting those who dare to condemn the countless human rights violations taking place in China. The political police are getting ready for the Olympics in their own way, bringing charges of subversion against those who remind people of the promises the government made in 2001 to improve respect for basic freedoms. And so it was that a few days before New Year’s Eve, 30 police officers arrested leading human rights activist Hu Jia at his Beijing home.[continues...]