Whilst the world celebrates the Olympic Games, Chinese dissidents continue to be silenced so as to avoid any embarrassing protests. The Chinese authorities did of course promise, prior to the Olympics, that protests would be allowed in designated areas, but at present the number of approved protests runs at precisely....none. Instead, according to a BBC report, the torturous application process is being used to intimidate and arrest activists for the crime of applying for the right to hold a protest.
One such protester, Zhang Wei, was arrested last week after petitioning repeatedly for the right to demonstrate. Her family have not heard from her since.
Still, Giselle Davies, spokeswoman for the International Olympics Committee, has praised Beijing for the smooth running of the Games so far. At least some one is happy with the way the Chinese authorities are behaving.
