Amnesty International has condemned China’s actions in the run up to the 2008 Olympic Games.

Amnesty International has condemned the actions of the Chinese authorities in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics 2008, which have included human rights abuses and the censorship of some international websites – including Amnesty’s own website and the Chinese version of BBC online.

The organisation has published The Olympics Countdown: Broken Promises, a report that studies how the Chinese authorities have acted in the area of human rights. It concluded that the authorities have targeted people who “they believe may threaten the image of ‘stability’ and ‘harmony’ they want to present to the world”.

The report cited a quote from the Secretary General of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, Wang Wei, when he spoke in 2001 about the city hosting the Games: “We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China. (…) We are confident that the Games coming to China not only promotes our economy but also enhances all social conditions, including education, health and human rights.”

However, according to Roseann Rife, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director, China has not allowed the media the freedom that it promised and has persecuted those who have spoken out about human rights: “The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the Games. They must release all imprisoned activists, allow foreign and national journalists to report freely and make further progress towards the elimination of the death penalty.”

China’s human rights record has come under scrutiny by Amnesty International. The country has a high death penalty rate, with 68 offences punishable by death and the exact number of those sentenced to death remaining a state secret.

Amnesty International is calling on all the world leaders who will be present at the Games to speak out against the country’s human rights issues: “A failure to do so will send the message that it is acceptable for a government to host the Olympic Games in an atmosphere of repression and persecution,” added Rife.

The BBC website has published a response from the Chinese Government in light of Amnesty’s report, quoting Liu Jiancho, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, as dismissing the report: “I hope that Amnesty International can take off the tinted glasses they have been wearing for years and see China in a fair and objective way, and do something more constructive.”

The Olympic Games will be held in Beijing 8–24 August. To find out more about Amnesty’s report on the Games, click here.

Click here to visit the official Beijing Olympic Games site.