I would like to take a moment to address the issue of the upcoming olympics in China.
I personally think it is unacceptable for the nations of the world to participate in the olympics in China without confronting the Chinese governent on human rights violations. To name two examples of recent unacceptable cases:
1. First, let me tell you about Ye Guozhu and his family, who were evicted
from their home and restaurant in 2003, which were razed to make way
for the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Three days after he requested permission to hold a public demonstration
against the forced evictions, Ye Guozhu was arrested. He was convicted
of "stirring up trouble" and sentenced to four years in prison. In
jail, he has reportedly been beaten, subjected to electro-shocks, and
forced to hang from his arms for extended periods.
2. Chen Guangcheng is one of the courageous activists Amnesty
International is working to free. The blind human rights defender and
legal advisor was arrested in 2005 for filing a lawsuit on behalf of
thousands of women in Shandong Province who endured forced abortions
and sterilizations to meet local birth quotas.
Chen's wife and lawyers were barred from appearing in court to defend
him - and after a 1-day trial he received a 4-year prison sentence.
Chen's situation remains grim, as he's reportedly been beaten in
captivity. He won the Magsaysay award - described as Asia's Nobel Prize
- in July 2007 for defending human rights. But Chinese authorities even
prevented Chen's wife from traveling to the Philippines to accept the
prize on his behalf.
America of all nations should be outraged about these sort of things. As president Bush himself said on the topic of humna rights: "No President has ever done more for human rights than I have." Well Mr. President, it's time to keep your word on that statement and tell the Chinese government how America feels about this. Some things we as Americans can do is:
- Urge
President Bush to call for the release of human rights defenders like
Chen Guangcheng and others when he meets with Chinese officials during
the opening of the Games
- Provide
American athletes with toolkits to help them speak up - if they choose
- about Chinese prisoners of conscience and the government's human
rights record
- Encourage corporate sponsors such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's to use their influence to call for an end to the ongoing abuses
Well, I hope I didn't offend anyone with this article. This again goes with past statements of mine. This is not democrat or republican, liberal or conservative. Rather an issue of Human rights.
Thank you.
