China asked to improve image with Olympics

NDTV Correspondent
Saturday, August 6, 2005 (London):

The 2008 Olympics in Beijing offer an opportunity for China to improve human rights conditions, including abolishing the death penalty and releasing political prisoners, Amnesty International said today.

The London-based human rights group also urged the International Olympic Committee to express concern to Beijing over rights abuses allegedly perpetrated by authorities in preparation for the games.

In the past, senior Chinese officials have said hosting the games would help improve human rights conditions in the country.

IOC officials have said they share those hopes, but will not act as human rights monitors.

Chinese authorities must adopt "a set of realistic, practical, steps" to improve the human rights situation in the run-up to the Olympics, Amnesty said in a statement.

These include abolishing the death penalty, reforming the judicial system, allowing citizens freedom of expression and association, releasing all prisoners of conscience and providing justice for the victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. (AP)

Original source: NDTV