Chinese authorities ordered two women to spend a year of 're-education through labor' after they applied to stage a protest at an Olympic protest zone over being evicted from their homes, a human-rights group said.
The incident highlights the failure of the Olympic Games to secure greater freedom of expression in China.
The two women, 77-year-old Wu Dianyuan and 79-year-old Wang Xiuying, had repeatedly applied for permits to hold a protest in one of the three designated protest zones set up around Beijing.
According to Human Rights in China, Ms. Wu and Ms. Wang, former neighbors who were evicted from their homes in 2001, applied to Beijing police five times between Aug. 5 and 18 to hold a protest. In one case, they were detained and interrogated for 10 hours.
On Aug. 17, they were told they had been sentenced to one year of re-education through labor for 'disturbing the public order,' according to Human Rights in China. The sentence is to be served outside a labor camp, with restrictions on their movement, though they could be sent to a camp if they continue to disobey. A day after the decision, the two tried again to apply for permission to protest, but were denied because they had been sentenced.
Under pressure from the International Olympic Committee, Beijing had agreed to allow demonstrations in special zones far from the main Olympic venues. Officials said 77 applications have been made, though none have been approved.
Unapproved protests during the Games, including several from groups opposing China's policies toward Tibet, have been quickly quashed by Chinese authorities. Five Americans here to blog about human rights and to protest China's policies in Tibet were detained by authorities Tuesday, according to Students for a Free Tibet.
An American artist has been detained by Chinese authorities since 3 a.m. Tuesday Beijing time, an art center in New York with connections to the artist said. Students for a Free Tibet told the art center that James Powderly hadn't been heard from since his detention, and his whereabouts were unknown.
Shai Oster |
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