The games in China

I’ve asked the question several times before, how did China get the privilege of hosting the Olympics with its track record of ongoing persecutions and human rights violations? Some people thought this would make officials straighten up more, under global scrutiny, and become more civilized toward its people and organizations. 

Not so.

One year from the Beijing Olympics Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports no progress on human rights in China; instead, censorship on media and the internet is tighter, rights activists are in prison, repression of ethnic minorities in Tibet and Xingjian continues, priests are in jail, workers and migrants continue to be abused, and police keep on using force to break up peaceful protests.

In Beijing yesterday activists from Reporters Without Borders were held in police custody for hours after a press conference on the Games in which they said that the promised freedom of the press did not exist, that media censorship was up…

…and they were held in a parking lot for hours, to shut them up.

The list of grievances goes on…

Constructing ultra-modern facilities for the Games has involved forced evictions of thousands of residents in and around Beijing, often without adequate compensation or access to new housing. Entire neighbourhoods were ripped apart. The pre-Olympic “clean-up” of Beijing has resulted in the closure of dozens of officially unregistered schools for the children of migrant workers.

Labour rights were abused. Thousands of migrant workers employed on Olympic and other construction sites across Beijing have not and still do not receive legally mandated pay and benefits, including labour insurance and days off, and are too often compelled to do dangerous work without adequate safeguards. 

Ethnic minorities have had to endure greater repression. Tibetan Buddhists in Tibet and Uighurs in Xingjian are still threatened by Chinese policies, including the immigration of ethnic Chinese into their provinces to occupy positions of power in government and commerce.

In Xingjian Muslim Uighurs are routinely accused of terrorism and sentenced to quick, secret and summary trials. The death penalty is common.

They continue to persecute people of faith.

Religion and believers are also victims of state repression. China does not recognise freedom of religion outside the state-controlled system in which all congregations, mosques, temples, churches and monasteries must register. Dissidents end up in jail for periods of “re-education.”

Pope Benedict has been expressly concerned about the Church in China. He keeps reaching out to the government there to allow religious freedom, and speaking out to the faithful to hang on. The government is replying. 

At least 11 priests from the underground church are being held in arrest in various regions throughout China.  AsiaNews sources confirm that since last May their conditions have worsened due to the Pope’s Letter to China’s faithful.

In Hebei, Zhejiang and central Mongolia all of the activities of the underground church, not recognised by the government have been blocked.  During the summer the priests dedicate their time to youth meetings and catechesis, but police controls and the arrest of several priests have rendered their work impossible.

Local AsiaNews sources affirm that this series of arrests is “a government answer to the Pope’s Letter”.

This is more than a slap in the face.

According to local priests, the violence against the underground Church shows the Chinese authorities contempt for Benedict XVI’s courageous offer of a hand of friendship.

Why the Games in China?