*what* progress on human rights?

The big reason why holding the Olympics in China might be a good plan, we were told, despite the Chinese Government's appalling human rights record, was that surely the authorities there would have to start easing the iron fist a little as the daylight of international attention sought out the murkiest corners of their oppression.

Nope.

Read yesterday's press release from Amnesty International and weep:

IOC caves in to China's demands on internet censorship

30 July 2008

The International Olympic Committee has said that there won't be uncensored internet access at Olympic media venues.

In a statement Kevin Gosper, International Olympic Committee (IOC) press commission chair, said: “I regret that it now appears BOCOG has announced that there will be limitations on website access during Games time (…). I also now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related.”

In reaction to the IOC statement, Mark Allison, East Asia researcher for Amnesty International said: "The International Olympic Committee and the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games should fulfil their commitment to ‘full media freedom" and provide immediate uncensored internet access at Olympic media venues. Censorship of the internet at the Games is compromising fundamental human rights and betraying the Olympic values.

Foreign journalists working from the Olympics press centre in Beijing are unable to access the Amnesty International website. A number of other websites are also reported to have been blocked.

The IOC has on many occasions highlighted the loosening of restrictions on foreign media in China as an example of the promised improvement in human rights by the Chinese authorities through the hosting of the Olympics. On 1 April, Kevin Gosper said that the continued blocking of some websites would "reflect very poorly" on the hosts. On 17 July Jacques Rogge, IOC President, said "there will be no censorship of the internet."

"This blatant media censorship adds one more broken promise that undermines the claim that the Games would help improve human rights in China," said Mark Allison.

On Monday 29 July, Amnesty International published the report "Olympic Countdown: Broken Promises" which evaluates the performance of the Chinese authorities in four areas related to the core values of the Olympics: persecution of human rights activists, detention without trial, censorship and the death penalty. They all relate to the 'core values' of 'human dignity' and 'respect for universal fundamental ethical principles' in the Olympic Charter. The new report showed there has been little progress towards fulfilling the Chinese authorities' promise to improve human rights, but rather continued deterioration in key areas.

Of course, the US is currently -- thanks to its own repressive regime -- in no good position to issue moral lectures to the Chinese. 

As an aside: In our local health food store today, Pam (pds_lit) and I were talking with one of the managers about which beans we should order through them for sprouting. The manager pointed out that the mung beans I wanted us to buy came from China; she felt impelled to mention this (it was indeed kind of her) because some people were concerned about buying Chinese produce.

I held my silence for a bit while she and Pam sounded off about the evils of the Chinese Government. Other customers floating around the shop seemed approving. Finally I remarked that of course the Chinese regime is rotten and repressive because there is no habeas corpus and they torture people. Pam took my point, and riffed briefly about how we've become another country that lacks habeas corpus and tortures people.

In this staunchly Repugnican area, there was now a sort a gray-faced hush around the rest of the store . . .