Human Rights

(Newser) - Chinese police have arrested 59 people in Tibet for downloading and selling banned “reactionary songs” they say fuel ethnic hatred against migrant Han Chinese, the New York Times reports. The detainees are accused of collaborating with the exiled Dalai Lama to fuel unrest in the troubled region. State media did not say whether they have been formally charged. More »

(Newser) - Iranian police today raided the office of a human rights group led by Nobel prize-winning activist Shirin Ebadi, Reuters reports. The office was hours away from hosting a Human Rights Day celebration when cops shut it down. "We will protest against it," said Ebadi. "It will not deprive us from our rights activities." Prosecutors charged the group with operating a political party. More »

(Newser) - Tibetans still support the Dalai Lama’s “middle way” policy of negotiating for greater autonomy under Chinese rule, the Christian Science Monitor reports, but a conference of Tibetan exiles that ended today in India revealed many are growing impatient with Beijing’s endless foot-dragging. Members of the conference said there was a limit to their support for the middle way. More »

(Newser) - A move by the European Parliament to award a major human-rights prize to a Chinese dissident has Beijing outraged on the eve of a summit on the economic crisis, the Telegraph reports. The government denounced as “gross interference in China's domestic affairs” news that the jailed Hu Jia had won prestigious Sakharov Prize; a delegation including French president Nicolas Sarkozy arrives in Beijing tomorrow. More »

(Newser) - Washington is seeking the release of eight US protesters held by China during the Olympics, Reuters reports. Two were collared Thursday for posting a "Free Tibet" banner near an Olympic event; six others were members of Free Tibet Reporters detained the day before. Beijing vows to release all eight next weekend. This marks the first time during the Olympics that American protesters have been held for more than a day. More »

(Newser) - A Chinese teacher has been sent to a labor camp for a year of "re-education" after he posted online photos of school buildings that collapsed during the Sichuan earthquake, the Guardian reports. The man, who was neither formally charged with a crime nor given a trial, is one of many demanding answers from the Chinese government as to why so many schools were destroyed while nearby buildings remained standing. More »

(Newser) - Journalists covering the Olympic games in Beijing will not be allowed access to websites deemed objectionable by the Chinese government, the BBC reports, in spite of promises from the IOC that Internet access would be unfettered. Blocked sites include pages related to the Falun Gong spiritual group, as well as human rights organizations like Amnesty International. More »

(Newser) - Ten days ahead of the Beijing Olympics’ opening ceremony, Amnesty International charged that China hasn’t welched on promises of freedom for activists and journalists it made when it was awarded the Games. “The Chinese authorities are tarnishing the legacy of the Games,” said a rep who called for the release of “imprisoned peaceful activists” and a path to ending the death penalty, Bloomberg reports. More »

(Newser) - Barack Obama told an estimated 100,000 in Berlin today that “America has no better partner than Europe.” Touching on climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, genocide, and human rights, the Democrat referenced Ronald Reagan’s famous plea to the Soviet Union—saying there are new “walls we must tear down.” He cited the example of post-war Germany's rebirth from ruins, accomplished by bringing people—including former enemies—together, CNN reports. More »

(AP) - Beijing will set up specially designated zones for protesters during next month's Olympics, a security official said today, in a sign that China's authoritarian government may allow some demonstrations during the games. "This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics," said the director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, which lobbied Chinese leaders to set up the protest zones. More »