Source: The Wire
Hundreds of people have become casualties of Beijing”s frenzied construction and clean-up operation. Some have lost their homes, others have been condemned to imprisonment without charge or trial in Re-education through Labour (RTL) facilities, still others have been arrested and even tortured.
In July, 10 families were forcibly evicted from their homes. They had reportedly refused to leave their building, which is located next to the new site of China Central Television (official broadcasters of the 2008 Olympics), claiming that local authorities offered inadequate compensation.
Other Beijing residents have been similarly affected. Qi Zhiyong has been forced to move his small shop several times due to Olympic-related construction. Shot in the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, Qi Zhiyong has an amputated leg and was dismissed from his job due to his disability. The shop is his primary source of income.
The authorities had revoked his license and detained him for 51 days after he participated in a hunger-strike in February protesting against the recent beatings of activists. Qi Zhiyongs wife also lost her job, apparently as a result of her husband’s campaigning activities.
It has recently emerged that Ye Guozhu, sentenced to four years imprisonment in 2004 after campaigning against Olympics-related forced evictions, has been tortured in detention in Beijing. He was reportedly suspended from the ceiling by his arms and has suffered beatings with electro-shock batons for refusing to admit his guilt. AI considers him to be a prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate and unconditional release. A renewed crackdown on lawyers, journalists and Internet users has targeted many others across the country. Like Ye Guozhu they seek to expose violations and protect their rights through legal channels.
Beijing local authorities also remain determined to expand their powers to cleanse the citys image. In May, they decided to widen their use of RTL against offending behaviour to include serious cases of unlawful advertising or leafleting, unlicensed taxis, unlicensed businesses, vagrancy and begging. This is apparently the first time since mid-2003 that officials have specifically used RTL at the local level to address public order issues in cities.
These developments undermine the governments commitment to complete media freedom for the Olympics, to improve human rights and to the preservation of human dignity considered fundamental to the Olympic Spirit.
With less than two years remaining, human rights improvements in law and practice are urgently needed so that when August 2008 arrives the Chinese people can be proud in every respect of what their country has to offer the world.
To take action, go to Worldwide Appeals, p.3. Also see: Peoples Republic of China – The Olympics countdown (ASA 17/046/2006).
