Fears for rights as Beijing 2008 nears

By Michael Bristow | BBC News
January 02, 2008

A few days ago, about 30 police officers broke into the home of Chinese activist Hu Jia and took him away.

His wife, fellow activist Zeng Jinyan, is now under house arrest. At least 10 security personnel guard her home.

Mr Hu's arrest comes as China celebrates the start of one of its most important years in recent history.

This summer, all eyes will be on it as it plays host to the Olympic Games.

Foreign campaigners say Beijing has not fulfilled its promise to improve human rights ahead of the Olympics - a charge the Chinese government flatly denies.

But the country's human rights record - including Mr Hu's case - will be under scrutiny as much as its sporting endeavours.

'Inciting subversion'

Mr Hu was arrested two days after Christmas, during the afternoon, as he sat at his computer in the dining room of his home.

When officers barged into his flat, his wife was in the bedroom, feeding their two-and-a-half-month-old baby.

According to his arrest warrant, issued by the Beijing Public Security Bureau, the 34-year-old is accused of inciting subversion.

His wife has not been told where he is being held.

Mr Hu is a well-known HIV/Aids activist who also helps publicise other human rights cases in China.

He has been arrested several times before.

On the night he was taken away, six police officers stayed at Mr Hu's home to guard his wife, her mother and their child.

Telephone lines and internet access to the home, in an eastern Beijing suburb, have been cut off.

When the BBC visited the couple's flat, we found Ms Zeng was being closely guarded by at least 10 public security officers.

We arrived as three of them were escorting her as she walked her baby in a shared garden next to her apartment.

After a lengthy check of our identification papers, officers finally refused to allow us to interview Ms Zeng, who also publicises Chinese human rights abuses.

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