China cracks down on mass petitions ahead of Olympics

Chinese police are arresting and harassing organizers of petitions that called on the National People's Congress (NPC) to protect human rights and end corruption ahead of the Olympics, activists said yesterday.

Veteran petitioner Wang Guilan (王桂林) was picked up by Beijing police on Thursday as she prepared a press conference on a petition to the NPC that was signed by 12,700 people, Chinese Human Rights Defenders said.

"If a country cannot protect the basic human rights [of its people], then it obviously is not a modern and civilized country," said the petition, released by the group.

"As citizens of the host country of the Olympic Games, we hope we [can] have the human rights and respect enjoyed by civilized societies," it said.

The petition called on Chinese leaders to allow for political and legal reforms, specifically the protection of basic rights such as freedom of expression, press and association.

Beijing police had no immediate comment when contacted yesterday for news on Wang, asking for questions to be faxed through.

Meanwhile, organizers of a second petition that had gathered over 20,000 names nationwide calling for an end to government corruption also said police were harassing them, with some already in jail.

"Police have already persecuted organizers like Lu Gengsong [呂耿松] and Qiao Yanbing [喬延兵]," another organizer, Xu Gaojin (徐高金), said.

Factory worker Yang Chunlin (楊春林) was also tried for subversion last week after his petition, "We want human rights, not the Olympics," attracted 10,000 signatures. He is awaiting a verdict.