UK: Olympic Torch Illuminates Lack of China Rights Policy

“No Strategy” to Address Tibet, Olympic-Related Rights Crises

(London, April 4, 2008) – In welcoming the Beijing Olympic Torch Relay outside 10 Downing Street, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is sending the Chinese government exactly the wrong message on its ongoing crackdown in Tibet and on human rights advocates in China, Human Rights Watch said today.

The Olympic torch, which was lit in Beijing on March 31, is expected to be a flashpoint for human rights-related protests as it travels through 20 countries. The torch will pass through London on Sunday, April 6.

“The Prime Minister should use this occasion to speak publicly about China’s Olympian abuses,” said Tom Porteous, Human Rights Watch’s London Director. “The main thing the Olympic Torch Relay illuminates in Britain is the government’s apparent lack of a public strategy to address Olympic-related human rights issues in China in advance of the Beijing Games.” Full Article Link