Amnesty International is monitoring the Chinese authorities’ human rights performance, particularly in areas linked to preparations for the Olympics. We will judge their progress and inform the world; particularly the IOC, the Olympic corporate sponsors and international governments. Our aim is to assess the impact the Games are having on human rights in China.

Street Campaign (26 & 27 April)
Legacy of Olympics -- Sharing and gathering (23 April)


In April, 2001, Liu Jingmin, Vice President of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Bid Committee stated “by allowing Beijing to host the Games you will help the development of human rights.”

Liu Qi, mayor of Beijing also pledged that “by hosting the games, social progress and economic development in China would move forward, as would China’s human rights situation.”

More specifically, in July 2001, Wang Wei, secretary general of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee said: “We will give the media complete freedom to report when they come to China. [...] We are confident that the Games coming to China not only promotes our economy but also enhances all social conditions, including education, health and human rights.”

The Chinese authorities pledged that human rights would improve through the hosting of the Games. Amnesty International will hold them to their word, mobilizing people across the world to call for a lasting human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics.

We are calling  in particular for substantial reforms in four key areas which are closely linked to  the core Olympic values of  “respect for universal fundamental ethical principles” and the preservation of human dignity. These are:
(1) the death penalty
(2) punitive detention without trial
(3) repression of human rights defenders
(4) unwarranted censorship of the Internet

More information on this campaign