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‘Human letter’ activity planned in Taipei

By Jimmy Chuang
STAFF REPORTER, WITH CNA
Friday, Jul 11, 2008, Page 2

The Taiwan chapter of Amnesty International will join a “human letter” activity tomorrow urging China to deliver on its Olympic Games promise to improve human rights.

Members of Amnesty International in 30 countries will spell out the words “freedom, equality, dignity and justice” using hundreds of human bodies for each letter at different times tomorrow, the human rights group’s Taiwan chapter said in a press release.

The Taiwan chapter will form one of the letters of the word “freedom” on a square in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) close to the Taipei 101 building at 4pm, the chapter said, urging the public to take part.

The global activity is aimed at highlighting four appeals Amnesty International has directed at Beijing on human rights in China, it said.

The appeals include maintaining and protecting the safety of human rights defenders, stopping monitoring of the Internet and media, suspending the death penalty and ensuring fairness of trials, the statement said.

Freedom is one of the Olympic ideals, so Beijing authorities should allow activists to speak out freely on behalf of disadvantaged people, it said.

In the spirit of freedom, Beijing should also protect freedom of the news media and journalists and stop monitoring remarks posted on the Internet, the Taiwan chapter said.

China should mark the Games’ spirit of non-violence by banning executions of death-row inmates, it said, adding that China executed an estimated 7,500 people every year, more than any other country.

China promised to improve human rights when it was bidding to host this year’s Olympic Games seven years ago, Manon Schick, spokeswoman for Amnesty’s Swiss office, told the Central News Agency in Switzerland.

However, Beijing has failed to fulfill its promise and new human rights violations have arisen over the years, Schick said.

The human letters will be clearly visible from the sky and will send a clear message to the international community and China, Schick said.
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