As the Olympics approached, human rights activists in China faced serious risk of abuse. Several activists in Beijing had experienced growing harassment and surveillance, while abuse of activists across China was also on the rise.

In March 2004, China amended its Constitution to include the clause: “the State respects and protects human rights”. Despite this, many activists are still held as prisoners of conscience after politically motivated trials, while growing numbers are kept as prisoners in their own homes.

Such patterns of police control, surveillance and arbitrary detention are also increasingly employed against the members of activists’ families, in an apparent attempt to apply more pressure on them.

Certain provisions of the Criminal Law continue to be used as political tools to suppress dissent. Broadly defined categories of crimes, such as “separatism”, “subversion”, “disturbing public order”, and “stealing state secrets”, are used to prosecute those engaged in legitimate and peaceful human rights activities.

Amnesty International calls upon China to cease the arbitrary detention, intimidation or harassment of activists and human rights defenders and to release those currently imprisoned. All activists and human rights defenders should also be free to highlight issues of legitimate concern without fear of penalty or harassment.