The Beijing Olympics ... A Catalyst for Real Change or a just another major Sporting Event ?

Although given my current work situation, I am not as active as I would like to be, I am a member of the Australian Tibet Council (ATC) The ATC works to promote the human rights and democratic freedoms of the Tibetan people. ATC is an independent, non-profit Australian organisation funded solely by members and supporters.

ATC undertakes a range of campaigns and advocacy work including promoting support for negotiations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government to reach a just resolution to the Tibet situation; promotion of religious and cultural freedom and human rights, particularly in the case of Tibetan political prisoners; and the protection of the Tibetan environment and the prevention of the inappropriate exploitation of Tibetan resources.

The Chinese government continues to violate the basic human rights of Tibetans as provided by both the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights and China’s own constitution. These include the rights to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, freedom of speech, freedom of movement and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention.

Despite China’s assurance to the International Olympic Committee that the awarding of the Olympics to Beijing would bring about improvements in human rights, there is now robust evidence that the human rights situation in Tibet is deteriorating. In 2007, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported a three-fold increase in arbitrary arrests and detention since 2006.

In September 2006, Western mountaineers witnessed an unprovoked attack by Chinese border patrols on a group of 75 unarmed Tibetans fleeing Tibet for Nepal which resulted in the death of 17 year old nun Kelsang Namtso. In late 2007, Runggye Adak, a 52-year-old nomad, was sentenced to eight years in prison for simply calling publicly for the return of the Dalai Lama during the popular Lithang horse festival in Eastern Tibet.

China promised increased media freedoms ahead of the Beijing Olympics. However, major media watchdogs, including Reporters Without Borders and the World Association of Newspapers, have reported increased restrictions on foreign media, intimidation of journalists and heightened internet censorship.

I don't want to undermine the Olympic Games, nor does the ATC, but given the spotlight of the world media is currently on China, there has never been a better time for the rest of the free world to put pressure on the Chinese government to end their human rights abuses. If you are interested, and share our concerns, please click on this link and make your voice heard by signing the petition - make these Olympic Games more than about sport; make it a catalyst for change.