August 5, 2008 4:48 PM
Beijing 2008: Dissident of the Day
As we count down to the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics, we'll see copious amounts of pomp and bloviating from Beijing, which has spent years trying to "clean up" the country to present a pristine image of a sportsman's utopia (cough! hack! smog!) to the world. Rather than focusing on China's propaganda, each day through the Games I'm going to focus on the victims of that PRC housecleaning effort -- from now through the closing ceremonies.
Today's dissident is Hu Jia. He recently spent his 35th birthday behind bars; his wife and baby weren't allowed to visit. Hu is an environmentalist, an advocate for victims of AIDS/HIV, and an advocate for democracy. His parents suffered "re-education" through forced labor under Mao; Hu hit the blogosphere with his cries for freedom.
Just after Christmas, about 20 police burst into his home and arrested him. On April 3, he received a sentence of three years and six months for "inciting subversion of state power." Presented as "evidence" against him were five pieces he wrote on the Internet and two interviews he gave to foreign journalists. Hu suffers from cirrhosis, yet has reportedly received no medical attention behind bars.
On Sept. 10, 2007, Hu wrote on his blog, "Everyone should know that the country that is about to host the Olympics is one without democratic elections, freedom of religion, independent courts or independent unions. It prohibits protests and labor strikes. It is a state that carries out widespread torture, discrimination, and employs a large secret police system. It is a nation that violates human rights standards and human dignity, and is not ready to fulfill its international obligations."
Today's dissident is Hu Jia. He recently spent his 35th birthday behind bars; his wife and baby weren't allowed to visit. Hu is an environmentalist, an advocate for victims of AIDS/HIV, and an advocate for democracy. His parents suffered "re-education" through forced labor under Mao; Hu hit the blogosphere with his cries for freedom.
Just after Christmas, about 20 police burst into his home and arrested him. On April 3, he received a sentence of three years and six months for "inciting subversion of state power." Presented as "evidence" against him were five pieces he wrote on the Internet and two interviews he gave to foreign journalists. Hu suffers from cirrhosis, yet has reportedly received no medical attention behind bars.
On Sept. 10, 2007, Hu wrote on his blog, "Everyone should know that the country that is about to host the Olympics is one without democratic elections, freedom of religion, independent courts or independent unions. It prohibits protests and labor strikes. It is a state that carries out widespread torture, discrimination, and employs a large secret police system. It is a nation that violates human rights standards and human dignity, and is not ready to fulfill its international obligations."
August 5, 2008
7:21 PM
Registered User writes:
Test!
August 5, 2008
8:29 PM
Linda writes:
Bridget, thank you for using this opportunity to take us behind the spectacle of the Olympics and the world's whitewashing of China so we can understand what the true issues are. This is a country that has little regard for its citizens; in some regions, there is so much environmental pollution that children are frequently born with birth defects...and nothing is done to remedy the situation. These are the stories that need to be told. I appreciate that you're telling them here.