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Germany and Human Rights in China

July 27, 2008, 10:47 am
Wardrobe Function: German Athletes Have T-Shirt Choice
By Naila-Jean Meyers

Germany and its athletes have been among the more outspoken Olympic participants when it comes to human rights in China.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken a hard line on China, saying that she will not attend the opening ceremony. (The former Chancellor Gerhard Schroder is going, reflecting two different approaches to China.) A group of German athletes designed and promoted wristbands that say Sports for Human Rights, with proceeds going to Amnesty International. Yvonne Bönisch, who won a gold medal in judo in 2004, has said she will boycott the opening ceremony to protest human rights violations in Tibet. German businesses even got into the act. The chief executive of Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, speaking at a shareholders’ meeting in April, urged China to “open up their society.” Volkswagen was the first foreign automaker to enter the Chinese market and is a sponsor of the Beijing Games.
So perhaps it should come as no surprise that at a send-off for the German Olympic team Saturday, the German Olympic Sports Confederation was presented with T-shirts with slogans like “Fair Games,” “Sport for Human Rights,” “Celebrate Humanity,” “Free Tibet” and “Free China.” According to Agence France-Presse, the T-shirts were given by a group of former German athletes, including Dieter Baumann, who won the 5,000 meters at the Barcelona Games in 1992, and the sprinter Ines Geipel. The shirts will be available to wear at the German House in Beijing, which has been set up by the federation for its athletes, their guests and news conferences.
“We do not want to tell athletes how to behave, but perhaps some of them will wear them in the German House, which has ex-territorial status, to show how they feel,” Geipel said.
Germany was among the countries that asked the I.O.C. for clarification on the Olympic Charter’s rules on political displays. In an memo released this spring, the International Olympic Committee prohibited athletes competing in the Beijing Games from making political statements in Olympic areas. In particular, the memo stated:
Rule 51.3 of the Olympic Charter provides that “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas”. For the purpose of these guidelines, these areas are defined as every area for which an official Olympic accreditation is required. Compliance with this Rule implies avoiding the display of any sign, banner, poster, piece of equipment or clothing which could be perceived as any kind of demonstration or propaganda.
In rejecting calls for an Olympic boycott in March, the German Olympic Sport Confederation released a statement that described the human rights situation in China as unsatisfactory. That statement also said: “Sport is not a suitable tool to be used to apply political pressure. Sport is not in a position to solve the problems that neither the United Nations nor individual nations were able to resolve despite decades of effort. … We believe sport is there to promote dialogue and international understanding. Sport builds bridges, not walls.”

China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games

July 31, 2008
China to Limit Web Access During Olympic Games
By ANDREW JACOBS
BEIJING — The International Olympic Committee failed to press China to allow fully unfettered access to the Internet for the thousands of journalists arriving here to cover the Olympics, despite promising repeatedly that the foreign news media could “report freely” during the Games, Olympic officials acknowledged Wednesday.
Since the Olympic Village press center opened Friday, reporters have been unable to access scores of Web pages — among them those that discuss Tibetan issues, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown on the protests in Tiananmen Square and the Web sites of Amnesty International, the BBC’s Chinese-language news, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers known for their freewheeling political discourse.
The restrictions, which closely resemble the blocks that China places on the Internet for its citizens, undermine sweeping claims by Jacques Rogge, the International Olympic Committee president, that China had agreed to provide full Web access for foreign news media during the Games. Mr. Rogge has long argued that one of the main benefits of awarding the Games to Beijing was that the event would make China more open.
“For the first time, foreign media will be able to report freely and publish their work freely in China. There will be no censorship on the Internet,” Mr. Rogge told Agence France-Presse just two weeks ago.
But a high-ranking Olympic committee official said Wednesday that the panel was aware that China would continue to censor Web sites carrying content that the Chinese propaganda authorities deemed harmful to national security and social stability. The panel acquiesced to China’s demands to maintain such controls, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not the designated public spokesman for the International Olympic Committee.
It was not immediately clear if China had provided special Internet links for overseas journalists working at the press center in the Olympic Village. But Chinese officials, speaking about the Internet restrictions on Wednesday, said they would not allow foreign journalists to visit Web sites that violated Chinese laws.
In its negotiations with the Chinese over Internet controls, the Olympic committee official said, the panel insisted only that China provide unregulated access to sites containing information useful to sports reporters covering athletic competitions, not to a broader array of sites that the Chinese and the Olympic committee negotiators determined had little relevance to sports.
The official said he now believed that the Chinese defined their national security needs more broadly than the Olympic committee had anticipated, denying reporters access to some information they might need to cover the events and the host country fully. This week, foreign news media in China were unable to gain direct access to an Amnesty International report detailing what it called a deterioration in China’s human rights record in the prelude to the Games.
“We are quite stunned by the decision, but we will survive this mess,” the official said. Sandrine Tonge, the media relations coordinator for the committee, said it would press the Chinese authorities to reconsider.
Chinese officials initially suggested that any troubles journalists were having with Internet access probably stemmed from the sites themselves, not any steps that China had taken to filter Web content. But Sun Weide, the chief spokesman for the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, acknowledged Wednesday that journalists would not have uncensored Internet use. “It has been our policy to provide the media with convenient and sufficient access to the Internet,” Mr. Sun said. “I believe our policy will not affect reporters’ coverage of the Olympic Games.”
Mr. Sun said foreigners using the Internet in China would be subject to the same laws under which censors blocked access to a wide range of Web sites thought to be detrimental to stability. China has long maintained that its laws governing Internet access do not amount to censorship and are similar to restrictions on pornography or gambling sites in many countries.
The restrictions were the latest in a string of problems that have tarnished the prelude to the Olympics, which open Aug. 8. China struggled to contain ethnic unrest in Tibetan areas this spring. The global torch relay that China organized to promote the Games was disrupted by protests. Air pollution in Beijing has remained severe despite efforts to reduce it.
In recent months, human rights advocates have accused Beijing of stepping up the detention and surveillance of those it fears could disrupt the Games. On Tuesday, President Bush met with five Chinese dissidents at the White House to drive home his dissatisfaction with the pace of change. Mr. Bush, who will attend the opening ceremonies in just over a week, also pressed China’s foreign minister to ease political repression.
The White House also urged China to lift its restrictions on the Internet. “We want to see more access for reporters, we want to see more access for everybody in China to be able to have access to the Internet,” the White House press secretary, Dana Perino, said Wednesday.
On Capitol Hill, Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, introduced a resolution on Tuesday urging China to reconsider what he said were its plans to force international hotel chains to track electronic communications by its guests. At a news conference, he introduced redacted documents that he said were provided by the hotels requiring them to install government software to monitor Internet traffic during the Olympics.
Concerns about media access to the Internet intensified Tuesday, when Western journalists working at the Main Press Center in Beijing said they could not get to Amnesty International’s Web site to see the group’s report on China’s rights record.
T. Kumar, Amnesty International’s Asia advocacy director, said he thought the government hoped it could dissuade reporters from pursuing stories about human rights issues by blocking their access to Internet-based information. “This sends the wrong message not only to journalists but to anyone on his or her way to the Olympics,” he said.
It was not clear how hard Olympic committee officials pushed for open access to the Internet during negotiations with the Chinese, which dated from to the decision to award Beijing the Games in 2001, or why Mr. Rogge, the Olympic chief, promised that the news media would have uncensored access during the Games when officials working for him were aware that China would keep at least some of its censorship policies in place.
Kevan Gosper, press chief of the International Olympic Committee, was quoted by Reuters on Wednesday as saying that I.O.C. officials had agreed that China could block sites that would not hinder reporting on the Games themselves. “I also now understand that some I.O.C. official negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games-related,” he told Reuters.
The senior Olympic committee official said the committee pressed hardest for unfiltered access to sites that sports reporters would need to cover athletic competitions. He said such sites included some that had been blocked in China in the past, including Wikipedia, but did not include political sites run by groups that the Beijing government considers hostile, like the spiritual sect Falun Gong.
Jonathan Watts, president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of China, said he was disappointed that Beijing had failed to honor its agreement to temporarily remove the firewall that prevented Chinese citizens from fully using the Internet.
“Obviously if reporters can’t access all the sites they want to see, they can’t do their jobs,” he said. “Unfortunately such restrictions are normal for reporters in China, but the Olympics were supposed to be different.”

Keine Chance für Mädchen in China

Das traurige Los der Landmädchen in China
Während die Elite Chinas alles daransetzt, ihren Kindern eine erfolgreiche Zukunft zu garantieren, leben die Menschen auf dem Land oft noch wie im Mittelalter. Chancen auf Bildung gibt es hier kaum - vor allem nicht für Mädchen. Die kleine Xiao Yan etwa muss tagein und tagaus schuften. Sie träumt von einem besseren Leben - auf das sie kaum eine Chance hat.
Von Nicole Bölhoff, ARD-Studio Peking
[Bildunterschrift: Lernen für ein besseres Leben. Die Chancen der kleinen Xiao Yan sind trotz aller Anstrengungen gering. ]Die elfjährige Xiao Yan führt den Haushalt für ihre Familie - ohne Gas und Strom ist das eine mühsame Angelegenheit. So wie sie leben noch immer viele Mädchen auf dem Land.

Noch vor der Schule muss Xiao Yan das Frühstück für die gesamte Familie zubereiten, jeden Tag gibt es eingelegte Gurken mit Reis. "Seit meine Mama Wanderarbeiterin ist, muss ich alles machen", erzählt das Mädchen. "Ich koche, füttere die Schweine und wasche." In dem abgelegenen Dorf Daquan im Süden Chinas gehört den Hous ein kleines Reisfeld. Auch dort das Unkraut zu jäten gehört zu Xiao Yans täglichen Pflichten - ebenfalls noch vor der Schule. Die Arbeit ist hart, aber Xiao Yan beklagt sich nicht.
Leben wie im Mittelalter
Die Kleine würde gerne lernen, doch Xiao Yans Familie lebt noch wie im Mittelalter - und in China sind Mädchen auf dem Dorf bis heute nicht viel Wert. Xiao Yans Zukunft sieht entsprechend düster aus. Der kleine Bruder Xiao Yun dagegen ist der ganze Stolz des Vaters: "Wir haben nicht genug Geld", sagt der. "Das reicht nur für ein Kind. Wenn überhaupt, schicken wir nur den Sohn auf die höhere Schule. Meine Tochter soll bald ganz zu Hause bleiben und mir bei der Arbeit helfen."
Xiao Yans Hefte und Bücher hat ihr eine Tante aus der Stadt geschenkt. Die Schultasche hat sie vom großen Bruder geerbt, ihr Vater hätte dafür kein Geld gegeben. Die Elfjährige freut sich jeden Tag auf die Schule, denn das ist die einzige Abwechslung in ihrem arbeitsreichen Alltag. Schulen auf dem Land allerdings sind rar und der Schulweg fast immer kilometerlang und beschwerlich: "Die Schule ist schon weit weg", sagt Xiao Yan. "Aber ich gehe gerne hin. Wir lernen ganz unterschiedliche Fächer: Jeden Tag haben wir Chinesisch, Mathe und Biologie."
Bildung bleibt Luxus im kommunistischen China
[Bildunterschrift: Kaum Schulen gibt es auf dem chinesischen Land - und wenn, dann sind diese schlecht ausgestattet. Xiao Yan versucht, das beste daraus zu machen. ]In der Dorfschule werden 200 Schüler unterrichtet. Die vier Klassen sind nur durch einen Plastikvorhang voneinander getrennt und die Kinder wild zusammengewürfelt: Xiao Yan ist elf, ihr Vordermann gerade mal acht Jahre alt. "Diese Kinder sind sehr wissbegierig", sagt die Lehrerin. "Doch das Unterrichtsniveau kann mit dem in der Stadt nicht mithalten", sagt ein Lehrer.

Gute Bildung ist im kommunistischen China ein Luxus: "Die Lernbedingungen sind katastrophal. Wir haben ja gar keine richtigen Lehrmittel hier. Nichts - geschweige denn Computer. Wer eine gute Ausbildung will, muss hier weg, auf eine andere Schule", sagt der Lehrer. In China leben fast 120 Millionen Analphabeten, Tendenz steigend. Viele Eltern auf dem Land nehmen ihre Kinder früh von der Schule. Sie müssen zuhause helfen. Dieses Schicksal droht auch Xiao Yan.Hinweis: "Büffeln und Buckeln - Chinas Kinder unter Druck" ist eine Arte-Reportage, die wir mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Senders für tagesschau.de aufbereitet haben. In einer losen Serie stellen wir Ihnen die Kinder der Dokumentation vor.

Arbeit, Arbeit und nochmal Arbeit
Später Nachmittag, Schulschluss in der Provinz Guizhou. Kaum ist sie wieder zu Hause, stürrzt sich Xiao Yan auch schon auf die Hausaufgaben. Das sind ihre schönsten Stunden. Die Elfjährige spürt offenbar ganz genau: Bildung ist ihr einziger Ausweg. Wenn die Hausaufgaben erledigt sind, holt der Arbeitsalltag Xiao Yan auch schon wieder ein: Sie muss Wäsche waschen, unten am Fluss, denn fließendes Wasser gibt es im Dorf nicht. Während der eintönigen Arbeit träumt sie oft von einer besseren Zukunft: "Ich lerne so gerne. Wenn ich groß bin, möchte ich auf die höhere Schule. Danach in der Stadt eine gute Arbeit finden", sagt sie.
Mit diesem Traum im Kopf schuftet die Kleine tapfer weiter. Doch im aufstrebenden China des 21. Jahrhunderts hat sich das Los der Landmädchen kaum verändert: Ihre Aufgabe bleibt das Hüten von Haus und Hof. Noch vor Sonnenuntergang ist Xiao Yan schon wieder unterwegs. Sie holt Wasser, für die ganze Familie. Dreimal täglich schleppt das zierliche Mädchen den schweren Bottich hinauf ins Dorf. Danach schließlich muss sie sich um das Abendessen kümmern. Xiao Yans Tag endet, wie er begonnen hat - mit Arbeit.
Bildunterschrift: Büffeln und Buckeln - Chinas Kinder unter Druck, ARTE-Reportage [Nicole Bölhoff, ARD Peking].
Weitere Video-Formate .
Chinas Kinder unter Druck (Teil 1).
Chinas Kinder unter Druck (Teil 2).

El Colmo: Roba Junta de Myanmar donaciones.- ONU

Roba Junta de Myanmar donaciones.- ONU
La ONU calcula que aún son necesarios 480 millones de dólares para paliar la crisis que sufre Myanmar tras el paso del ciclón 'Nargis'.

Denuncia la ONU que el Gobierno militar aplica un tipo de cambio con el que 'gana' dinero; el organismo calculó el desvío de 10 mddÁngel Villarino / Corresponsal
Rangún, Myanmar (30 de julio de 2008).- La Junta de Myanmar elevó 20 por ciento la tasa oficial de cambio entre el kyat, la moneda local, y el dólar, una medida que ya ha mandado a las arcas del régimen militar unos 10 millones de dólares de la ayuda humanitaria ofrecidas por Naciones Unidas tras el paso del ciclón "Nargis".Según fuentes de la resistencia democrática en el exilio, se trataría de un nuevo método del régimen para esquilmar los fondos ofrecidos por países extranjeros para la reconstrucción del país.Tras comprometerse a permitir, bajo estrictas condiciones, el reparto de ayuda entre la población, el Gobierno está aplicando a todas las transacciones humanitarias una nueva y desproporcionada tasa de cambio entre el dólar y el kyat.De acuerdo con fuentes oficiales de la Organización de Naciones Unidas (ONU), el Gobierno de Myanmar habría recaudado más de 10 millones de dólares gracias a esta inaudita medida financiera."El serio problema es la pérdida significativa debido a que desde junio (un mes después del paso de 'Nargis') la tasa oficial de cambio ha crecido de un modo espantoso. Las donaciones llegan en dólares, pero las transacciones hay que hacerlas por ley en moneda local, el kyat", explicó el lunes a la prensa John Holmes, subsecretario de la ONU para asuntos humanitarios."El cambio en el mercado actual, el de las casas de cambio comunes, es de mil 100 kyat por dólar, pero en las transacciones con el Gobierno de Myanmar y en los pagos de los servicios ofrecidos por la Junta, la ONU se ve obligada a pagar una tasa de cambio de 880 kyat por dólar, lo que ya ha supuesto una pérdida de cerca de 10 millones de dólares", abundó. Holmes, por otra parte, reconoció tras su reciente viaje por las zonas afectadas, que la situación está mejorando poco a poco y que el país recobra la normalidad. Con todo, cerca de 2.5 millones de personas siguen privadas de asistencia y de las más mínimas garantías sanitarias, según sus cálculos.El ciclón "Nargis" azotó la zona costera de Myanmar en mayo pasado, dejando más de 140 mil muertos. Justo después del desastre, la Junta Militar que gobierna el país se negó a aceptar cualquier tipo de ayuda ofrecida por varios países.La ONU calcula que aún son necesarios 480 millones de dólares para paliar la crisis que sufre Myanmar.

Gobierno de China: VIOLADOR DE DERECHOS HUMANOS!

http://www.amnesty.org/es/news-and-updates/report/chinese-authorities-broken-promises-threaten-olympic-legacy-20080728

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

28 julio 2008

Las autoridades chinas han incumplido su promesa de mejorar la situación de los derechos humanos en el país y han traicionado los principios fundamentales del olimpismo, según un nuevo informe de Amnistía Internacional.

El informe, hecho público coincidiendo con la cuenta atrás de los 10 últimos días para los Juegos Olímpicos, evalúa la actuación de las autoridades chinas en cuatro áreas relacionadas con los principios fundamentales del olimpismo de “respeto por los principios éticos fundamentales universales” y “mantenimiento de la dignidad humana”, como son la persecución de activistas de derechos humanos, la detención sin juicio y la pena de muerte.

Con el título de China: La cuenta atrás para los Juegos Olímpicos. Promesas incumplidas, el informe concluye que, en la mayor parte de las cuestiones analizadas, la situación de los derechos humanos en el país ha seguido deteriorándose desde el último informe que la organización publicó sobre la materia en abril de 2008 titulado La cuenta atrás para los Juegos Olímpicos. La represión de activistas amenaza el legado olímpico.

Poco antes de que empiecen los Juegos Olímpicos, las autoridades chinas han encerrado, puesto bajo arresto domiciliario y apartado de la vista pública a personas que consideran que pueden amenazar la imagen de “estabilidad” y “armonía” que quieren presentar al mundo.

Roseann Rife, directora adjunta de Amnistía Internacional para Asia y Oceanía, ha declarado: “Insistiendo en la persecución y castigo de quienes hablan en favor de los derechos humanos, las autoridades chinas han perdido de vista las promesas que formularon cuando se les concedió la organización de los Juegos hace siete años.”

“Las autoridades chinas están manchando el legado de los Juegos. Tienen que poner en libertad a todos los activistas pacíficos encarcelados, permitir a periodistas nacionales y extranjeros informar libremente, y avanzar aún más hacia la eliminación de la pena de muerte.”

Se han confirmado los informes según los cuales los periodistas extranjeros que trabajan desde el centro de prensa de los Juegos Olímpicos en Pekín no pueden acceder al sitio web de Amnistía Internacional (http://www.amnesty.org/en). Además, también ha sido bloqueado en China el sitio web The China Debate, recientemente lanzado por Amnistía Internacional para promover un foro de debate sobre derechos humanos.

Según los informes disponibles, otros sitios web han sido también bloqueados, entre ellos el periódico taiwanés Liberty Times y las versiones en chino del alemán Deutsche Welle y la británica BBC.

http://www.amnesty.org/es/news-and-updates/report/chinese-authorities-broken-promises-threaten-olympic-legacy-20080728


28 julio 2008

Las autoridades chinas han incumplido su promesa de mejorar la situación de los derechos humanos en el país y han traicionado los principios fundamentales del olimpismo, según un nuevo informe de Amnistía Internacional.

El informe, hecho público coincidiendo con la cuenta atrás de los 10 últimos días para los Juegos Olímpicos, evalúa la actuación de las autoridades chinas en cuatro áreas relacionadas con los principios fundamentales del olimpismo de “respeto por los principios éticos fundamentales universales” y “mantenimiento de la dignidad humana”, como son la persecución de activistas de derechos humanos, la detención sin juicio y la pena de muerte.

Con el título de China: La cuenta atrás para los Juegos Olímpicos. Promesas incumplidas, el informe concluye que, en la mayor parte de las cuestiones analizadas, la situación de los derechos humanos en el país ha seguido deteriorándose desde el último informe que la organización publicó sobre la materia en abril de 2008 titulado La cuenta atrás para los Juegos Olímpicos. La represión de activistas amenaza el legado olímpico.

Poco antes de que empiecen los Juegos Olímpicos, las autoridades chinas han encerrado, puesto bajo arresto domiciliario y apartado de la vista pública a personas que consideran que pueden amenazar la imagen de “estabilidad” y “armonía” que quieren presentar al mundo.

Roseann Rife, directora adjunta de Amnistía Internacional para Asia y Oceanía, ha declarado: “Insistiendo en la persecución y castigo de quienes hablan en favor de los derechos humanos, las autoridades chinas han perdido de vista las promesas que formularon cuando se les concedió la organización de los Juegos hace siete años.”

“Las autoridades chinas están manchando el legado de los Juegos. Tienen que poner en libertad a todos los activistas pacíficos encarcelados, permitir a periodistas nacionales y extranjeros informar libremente, y avanzar aún más hacia la eliminación de la pena de muerte.”

Se han confirmado los informes según los cuales los periodistas extranjeros que trabajan desde el centro de prensa de los Juegos Olímpicos en Pekín no pueden acceder al sitio web de Amnistía Internacional (http://www.amnesty.org/en). Además, también ha sido bloqueado en China el sitio web The China Debate, recientemente lanzado por Amnistía Internacional para promover un foro de debate sobre derechos humanos.

Según los informes disponibles, otros sitios web han sido también bloqueados, entre ellos el periódico taiwanés Liberty Times y las versiones en chino del alemán Deutsche Welle y la británica BBC.

Todo lo anterior poco tiene que ver con las promesas de garantizar “a los medios de comunicación libertad absoluta para informar cuando vengan a China”. El control y la censura de Internet crecen a medida que se acerca la inauguración de los Juegos Olímpicos. En el punto de mira hay muchos sitios web, entre ellos varios que informan sobre cuestiones relacionadas con el VIH/SIDA en Pekín.

Pese a las nuevas normas para los medios que supuestamente iban a permitir mayor libertad de información a los periodistas extranjeros, se les sigue impidiendo informar sobre “cuestiones sensibles”; por ejemplo, no se les permite hablar con quienes sufren violaciones de derechos humanos. El Club de Corresponsales Extranjeros de China (FCCC) documentó aproximadamente 180 incidentes de impedimentos informativos en 2007. Esa cifra asciende hoy a 260.

Amnistía Internacional considera también que los activistas y periodistas locales que trabajan en cuestiones relacionadas con los derechos humanos en China corren especial peligro de ser objeto de abusos durante los Juegos Olímpicos. Los periodistas chinos trabajan en un ambiente de censura, no pueden informar sobre cuestiones que las autoridades pueden considerar sensibles, y muchos de ellos aún languidecen en la cárcel por informar sobre esos temas.

El activista del derecho a la vivienda Ye Guozhu permanecerá recluido cumpliendo una pena de cuatro años de prisión por “buscar pelea y causar disturbios” a causa de su oposición a la incautación y demolición de propiedades con el fin de abrir espacio para nuevos proyectos de construcción para los próximos Juegos Olímpicos.

Ye Guozhu debía ser excarcelado el 26 de julio de 2008, pero ahora se sabe que permanecerá recluido al menos hasta el 1 de octubre, tras la clausura de los Juegos Olímpicos de 2008.

China sigue batiendo el récord mundial de ejecuciones. El Tribunal Supremo Popular inició una revisión de la pena de muerte que se cree que se ha saldado con un reducción notable de las ejecuciones; al respecto, una alta autoridad del país ha manifestado que, en el primer semestre de 2008, el Tribunal Supremo Popular desestimó el 15 por ciento de las peticiones de pena de capital.

Sin embargo, las autoridades siguen negándose a hacer públicas las cantidades totales sobre las personas que han sido condenadas a muerte y ejecutadas. Las cifras completas sobre este asunto siguen siendo secreto de Estado. Según algunos cálculos, se cree que el número de personas ejecutadas cada año asciende a miles. En China se pueden castigar con la pena de muere en torno a 68 delitos, entre ellos algunos de carácter no violento, como los relacionados con los narcóticos.

El presidente del Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI), Jacques Rogge, aseguró recientemente que la “diplomacia silenciosa” del COI se había materializado en varias reformas de derechos humanos, entre ellas las nuevas normas para los medios de comunicación extranjeros.

Roseann Rife ha declarado: “Amnistía Internacional acoge satisfactoriamente el reconocimiento por parte del COI de su influencia en materia de derechos humanos, pero dada la realidad actual, a la organización le sorprende su confianza en que los medios extranjeros podrán informar libremente y en que no habrá censura en internet. También deberían alzar la voz cuando se produzcan por parte de las autoridades violaciones de los principios olímpicos generales”.

“Asimismo, los líderes mundiales que asistan a los Juegos Olímpicos tienen que alzar la voz públicamente en favor de los derechos humanos en China y mostrar su apoyo a los activistas chinos de derechos humanos. Si no lo hacen, estarán transmitiendo el mensaje de que es aceptable que un gobierno albergue los Juegos Olímpicos en un clima de represión y persecución”.

Deja tu opinión acerca de cuestiones de derechos humanos en China en el sitio web The China Debate, de Amnistía Internacional.



Bloqueo del sitio web de Amnistía Internacional en la sede olímpica
http://www.amnesty.org/es/news-and-updates/news/amnesty-international-website-blocked-at-olympic-venue-20080728


Prensa:
http://espanol.sports.yahoo.com/noticias/deportes-amnist-internacional-critica-china-promesas-rotas-28072008-2.html


http://lta.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idLTAN2812559120080728


http://www.telegrafo.com.ec/deportes/noticia/archive/deportes/2008/07/28/Amnist_ED00_a-Internacional-suspende-a-Pek_ED00_n-en-Derechos-Humanos.aspx

Bush To Push Beijing to Make Reforms

Bush Tells Chinese Dissidents He Will Push Beijing to Make Reforms
By Dan EggenWashington Post Staff WriterWednesday, July 30, 2008; A04
EUCLID, Ohio, July 29 -- President Bush met privately with five Chinese activists at the White House on Tuesday before leaving on a trip to the Midwest, promising to "carry the message of freedom" to the Summer Olympics in Beijing next week.
Bush has repeatedly said he views the Beijing Games as being about athletics rather than politics, and he has resisted calls to boycott the opening ceremonies on Aug. 8. But last week, he referred to U.S. athletes as "ambassadors of liberty," and he told the group of dissidents Tuesday that he will continue to press China's leadership for reforms even during the Olympics, White House officials said.
"He told the activists that engagement with Chinese leaders gives him an opportunity to make the United States' position clear -- human rights and religious freedom should not be denied to anyone," White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a statement.
The unannounced meeting is likely to displease China's Communist leadership, which is focused on playing down complaints of human rights abuses preceding the Beijing Games. Bush is planning to meet with China's president, Hu Jintao, during his stay in Beijing, administration officials have said.
The activists with whom Bush met Tuesday were prison critic Harry Wu, democracy activist Wei Jinsheng, Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer, Bob Fu of the China Aid Association and writer Sasha Gong, the White House said. Bush asked the dissidents to recount their efforts to secure more freedoms in China, Perino said.
Fu said in an interview after the meeting that although he has "mixed feelings" about Bush's decision to attend the Games, his conversation with Bush makes him optimistic. "The president made very clear that he will continue to raise the issue of human rights while he attends the Olympics," Fu said. "It could have some real impact."
Bush also dropped in on a meeting between China's foreign minister and national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley. Bush told Yang Jiechi that hosting the Olympics "presents the Chinese with an opportunity to demonstrate compassion on human rights and freedom," the statement said. Hadley also will meet with human rights groups Wednesday to discuss the president's China trip.
Derek Mitchell, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, called Bush's meeting with the Chinese activists "remarkable."
"It's as if he were goading the Chinese on the eve of his trip to Beijing," Mitchell said. "To Chinese eyes, those he met with were a rogues' gallery of China's leading troublemakers. . . . China cannot be happy with this meeting and the signal of reproach it represents."
At the same time, Mitchell added, the meeting allows Bush to attend the opening ceremonies while showing that "he remains committed to his human rights principles."
T. Kumar, Asia advocacy director for Amnesty International USA, said his group welcomed Tuesday's meeting but also urged Bush to call on China to release political prisoners before the start of the Games as a sign of good faith.
After his White House meeting, Bush flew here to suburban Cleveland for a visit to Lincoln Electric, a century-old firm specializing in advanced welding equipment. In a speech to several hundred company employees, Bush said it is up to Congress to approve an expansion of offshore oil drilling to reduce gasoline prices.
Lincoln has developed welding technology that can help keep offshore rigs from collapsing in storms, and it helps produce equipment for nuclear plants and wind turbines that can generate additional electricity, Bush said.
The increase in oil prices is not due to "the lack of energy," Bush said. "It's because there's law that prohibits us from finding that energy or getting that energy."
Although Bush's Ohio appearance focused on energy and the economy, he turned at the end to human rights, though he did not mention China or the Olympics.
Recounting an oft-told story about a visit to Bucharest, Romania, in 2002, Bush said: "If you believe in the universality of freedom like I do, then you shouldn't be surprised that when given a chance, people from all walks of life will do the hard work necessary to live in a free society."

Rights abuses in China

Past time for speaking out on Beijing's rights abuses
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Two weeks before he goes to the Beijing Olympic Games, President George W. Bush remains unacceptably silent about China's crackdown on basic human rights. Emboldened by the complicity of Bush and other leaders, China is harassing or locking up critics, threatening journalists and selectively denying visas.
We have not taken issue with Bush's decision to attend the Olympics. But his refusal to speak out publicly and clearly about China's repressive behavior is an abdication of leadership and a blot on his record.
Bush has sought to portray himself as just another sports fan eager to cheer on his nation's team who is unwilling to use the Olympics to make political points. It's ludicrous for a president to pretend to be just another fan - and no one has sought to gain more political advantage from the Games than China.
The situation bordered on the absurd last week when Bush delivered a lengthy address on his "freedom agenda" for the world. He spoke loftily about the need for America to lead the cause of freedom and human rights, but he made only a brief reference to China. His insistence that those who "languish in tyranny" are not alone likely was little solace to Hu Jia and other imprisoned Chinese rights activists.
Bush's "freedom agenda" has always been selective. It has focused more on smaller countries than on major powers like China and Russia, whose help the administration needs on other matters. He insists that he regularly shares his human-rights concerns in private with China's leaders, but it's had little positive effect. A report by Amnesty International on Monday is the latest to scold China for not keeping its pre-Olympic pledges to expand press freedoms for foreign reporters. When they were competing to host the Games, Chinese authorities also implied that they would expand human rights more generally, but that, too, was false marketing.
In 2005, the Bush administration wisely challenged China to become a responsible stakeholder in the international system and to make its government responsible and accountable to its people. After pulling his punches on the Olympics, aides say that Bush is expected to address the human-rights concern.
It should not be an issue. Bush should make his views known publicly. And if he attends church in Beijing, as his staff says he might, he should also meet the families of jailed dissidents. This may be his last chance to take a stand on China and human rights.

Anuncia China censura de medios en JO

Anuncia China censura de medios en JO

El Comité Organizador de los JO había prometido un acceso completo a la red para los miles de periodistas presentes en China durante los Juegos.

En el conjunto del país, la red está sometida a un severo control; los internautas chinos tienen acceso a una versión 'aligerada' de la redAFP
Beijing, China (29 de julio de 2008).- China va a censurar la red utilizada por los medios de comunicación extranjeros durante los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijing, indicó un responsable chino, lo que supone una marcha atrás en una promesa de libertad total a los medios durante los Juegos."Durante los Juegos Olímpicos, suministraremos un acceso a internet suficiente para los periodistas", indicó Sun Weide, portavoz del Comité Organizador de los JO.

Weide confirmó que los periodistas no podrán acceder a las páginas web que contienen informaciones sobre el movimiento espiritual Falungong, prohibido en China.

Agregó asimismo que otros sitios de la red tampoco serán accesibles a la prensa, sin especificarlos.El presidente del Comité Olímpico australiano, John Coates, afirmó que el COI tomará muy en serio la censura de internet, seguramente muy decepcionante para los medios.El COI indicó que pedirá informaciones a las autoridades chinas a propósito de estas restricciones de acceso a la red."Voy a hablar con las autoridades chinas de estas restricciones y veré cómo reaccionan", indicó Kervan Gosper, un alto responsable del COI.En Beijing, los periodistas que trabajen en el principal centro reservado a la prensa durante los JO se quejaron de no tener acceso a las páginas de la organización Amnistía Internacional, la BBC, la radioemisora alemana Deutsche Welle, los diarios de Hong Kong, Apple Daily, y de Taiwán, Liberty Times."Nuestra promesa era que los periodistas podrían servirse de internet para su trabajo durante los Juegos Olímpicos", añadió Sun. "Y les hemos dado suficiente acceso para eso".Pero el Comité Organizador de los JO, presionado por el Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI), prometió un acceso completo a la red para los miles de periodistas presentes en China durante los Juegos (del 8 al 24 de agosto).Un portavoz del Ministerio chino de Relaciones Exteriores había dicho que el acceso a las páginas web de Falungong estaría bloqueado desde el centro de prensa de los JO.En el conjunto del país, la red está sometida a un severo control. Los internautas chinos tienen acceso a una versión aligerada de la red, con sitios censurados, en especial páginas de información, de organizaciones de defensa de derechos humanos y todos los que el poder comunista considera subversivos.Ilegalizada en 1999 por Beijing, Falungong reivindica 100 millones de afiliados, 70 millones de ellos en China.

AFP

Reforma.

High Commissioner for Human Rights

UN: New Human Rights Commissioner Should Take Bold Steps to Confront Abusers
Senior Post Needed in New York to Support New High Commissioner
(New York, July 18, 2008) – Navanethem Pillay, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s presumptive nominee for the post of High Commissioner for Human Rights, should commit herself to be a voice for victims and human rights defenders worldwide, Human Rights Watch said today. An announcement of Pillay’s nomination is expected shortly, and will go to the UN General Assembly for approval.Read more

neue UN-Menschenrechtskommissarin

Ban schlägt südafrikanische Richterin vor
Pillay soll neue UN-Menschenrechtskommissarin werden
Die Südafrikanerin Navanethem Pillay soll neue UN-Hochkommissarin für Menschenrechte werden. UN-Generalsekretär Ban Ki Moon schlug die 1941 geborene Juristin als Nachfolgerin von Louise Arbour vor, deren Amtszeit Ende Juni auslief. Die UN-Vollversammlung muss der Berufung noch zustimmen. Dies gilt nach intensiven Vorgesprächen jedoch als Formsache.

Pillay habe herausragende Erfahrung in Menschenrechtsfragen, ließ Ban durch seine Sprecherin erklären. Er erwarte, dass die neue Hochkommissarin die Unabhängigkeit ihres Amtes wahren und die gute Zusammenarbeit mit ihm und dem Menschenrechtsrat fortsetzen werde.


Kampf gegen Rassismus, Folter und Kriegsverbrechen
Pillay gehört in Südafrika der ethnischen Minderheit der Tamilen an. Die Juristin war UN-Angaben zufolge die erste Frau, die 1967 in der südafrikanischen Provinz Natal eine Anwaltspraxis eröffnete. Sie vertrat Apartheidsgegner und prangerte die Folgen von Folter und Einzelhaft an. Als Mitglied der Women's National Coalition setzte sich Pillay für die Verankerung von Freiheits- und Bürgerrechten in der südafrikanischen Verfassung ein.

Bild: Die Südafrikanerin Navanethem Pillay

Als erste farbige Frau wurde Pillay als Richterin an ein Oberes Gericht in Südafrika berufen. International bekannt wurde sie auf ihrem vorigen Posten als Präsidentin des Kriegsverbrechertribunals für Ruanda. Seit 2003 ist sie Richterin am Internationalen Strafgerichtshof in Den Haag.

Defeat for Discrimination, Victory for Inclusion

United Nations: Defeat for Discrimination, Victory for Inclusion
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Groups Gain Consultative Status
(New York, July 23, 2008) – The decision by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) granting consultative status to two groups that work on sexual orientation and gender identity is a victory in the ongoing struggle for inclusion at the UN, a coalition of six human rights organizations said today. The two groups approved on July 21 and 22, 2008 are COC Netherlands and the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Transsexuals and Bisexuals of Spain (FELGTB), national organizations representing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in the Netherlands and Spain. “COC Netherlands is delighted about obtaining consultative status with the UN,” said Björn van Roozendaal, COC international advocacy officer. “It means we can join the efforts at the UN to address human rights violations against people with an alternative sexual orientation or gender identity.” “Spanish-speaking LGBT voices will be heard in UN meetings where human rights questions are debated,” said David Montero, FELGTB Spain’s officer for international issues and human rights. “We thank all who have contributed to this exciting outcome, and especially Spain’s UN mission for their support.” Consultative status is a key means for civil society to access the UN system. It allows nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver oral and written reports at UN meetings, and to organize events on UN premises. With it, these groups can share their information and analysis of the abuses and discrimination LGBT people confront around the world. ECOSOC, consisting of 54 member states of the UN, grants consultative status to NGOs after reviewing recommendations made by its subsidiary body – the NGO Committee – which screens the applications. COC Netherlands and FELGTB Spain join approximately 3,000 other NGOs with consultative status at the UN. However, only a handful of LGBT groups have received the status. In recent years, some states have treated LGBT groups’ applications with intense hostility, and ECOSOC has only granted such groups consultative status after first overturning negative recommendations from its NGO Committee. ECOSOC approved the Danish National Association for Gay and Lesbians, the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA-Europe), and the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany in December 2006. The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Québec and the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights gained consultative status in July 2007. The US-based International Wages Due Lesbians and Australian-based Coalition of Activist Lesbians have had consultative status at the UN for more than a decade. At its January session, the committee tied 7-7 on consultative status for FELGTB Spain, meaning the motion to recommend it failed, but at the following session in June it voted 7-6 to grant the status for COC Netherlands. At the July session in New York, ECOSOC adopted by consensus the recommendation on COC Netherlands and voted to overturn the recommendation not to grant status to FELGTB Spain. “ECOSOC has recognized the place of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people in the work of the United Nations,” said John Fisher from ARC International, which supported the groups’ advocacy efforts. “In this 60th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it is particularly important to affirm the core principle that all human beings are entitled to the full enjoyment of all human rights, without discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Yesterday’s vote sends a clear message that discrimination has no place in the UN system, and that sexual orientation and gender identity issues can, and must, be addressed.” “Many states that harass or persecute LGBT people at home also try to shut down scrutiny of their records internationally,” said Boris Dittrich, advocacy director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Program at Human Rights Watch. “This vote ensures that two more voices will be raised to defend basic human rights at the UN.” “States from all five regions voted to overturn the negative recommendation from the NGO Committee in regards to FELGTB Spain,” said Philipp Braun, co-secretary general of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA). “We would like the committee to acknowledge the repeated message sent by ECOSOC that it should recommend LGBT groups. We also congratulate our members COC and FELGTB on their victory.” “Many states claim that ECOSOC’s votes need to follow the recommendations of its NGO Committee; the view of those who voted in favor of the LGBT groups, however, is that this cannot be done at the price of discriminating against anyone, including LGBT voices,” noted Adrian Coman from the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), who participated in monitoring the ECOSOC and NGO Committee meetings. The NGO Committee is due to review a number of additional applications from LGBT groups at its next two sessions in January and May 2009.

News of HRW

Burma: Cyclone Donors Should Ensure Transparency and Accountability
Independent Monitoring Body Should Be Established to Oversee Aid
(New York, July 23, 2008) – Donors assisting in Burma’s reconstruction after Cyclone Nargis should ensure that aid reaches the Burmese people, and is not manipulated by its repressive government. The devastating cyclone that struck southern Burma on May 2-3 directly affected approximately 2.4 million people, with 140,000 killed or listed as missing.Read more

US: A Test of Justice for Rape Victims
By Sarah Tofte
Every two minutes, someone is raped in the United States. Every year, more than 200,000 rape victims, mostly women, report their rapes to police. Most consent to the creation of a rape kit, an invasive process for collecting physical evidence (including DNA material) of the assault that can take up to six hours. What most victims don't know is that in thousands of cases, that evidence sits untested in police evidence lockers.Read more

US: Respect World Court Order to Halt Texas Executions of Mexicans

US: Respect World Court Order to Halt Texas Executions
Bush Should Intervene to Uphold International Law
(Washington, DC, July 21, 2008) – President George W. Bush should publicly urge Texas to respect the order of the International Court of Justice and stop the executions of five Mexican nationals, Human Rights Watch said today.The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is currently considering a case brought by Mexico, challenging death sentences in the United States of 51 Mexican nationals who were denied the right to contact Mexican consular officials after their arrest. On July 16, the ICJ ordered the United States to “take all measures necessary” to ensure that five of the 51 – José Ernesto Medellín Rojas, César Roberto Fierro Reyna, Rubén Ramírez Cárdenas, Humberto Leal García, and Roberto Moreno Ramos – are not executed before the court renders judgment in the case. All five are on death row in Texas, with Medellín set to be executed on August 5. “The US government admits that the executions of the Mexican nationals would violate international law,” said David Fathi, US program director at Human Rights Watch. “President Bush should send a clear public message to stop these executions.” Despite the ICJ order, Texas authorities plan to proceed with the execution of Medellín on August 5. A spokesman for Texas Governor Rick Perry stated: “The world court has no standing in Texas and Texas is not bound by a ruling or edict from a foreign court.” This position contradicts the US government, which recognizes that Washington is responsible under international law for the acts of its states and other political subdivisions. “The execution of foreign citizens in violation of an ICJ order will place Americans abroad at risk,” Fathi said. “If the US disregards its legal obligations in this case, it will be hard pressed to argue that other countries should respect the rights of US citizens under arrest.” In 2004, the ICJ ruled in Avena and Other Mexican Nationals that the United States had violated the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by failing to inform 51 Mexican nationals of their right to contact Mexican consular officials after their arrest. The court ordered the US to provide “review and reconsideration of the convictions and sentences” of the men. Four years later, the United States has failed to provide such review in the vast majority of the 51 cases. In March 2008, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Avena judgment constituted a binding legal obligation on the United States, but that legislation was required to make the judgment enforceable in US courts. Mexico then returned to the ICJ to seek clarification on the scope of US obligations under the 2004 judgment. On July 14, Representative Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced HR 6481, the Avena Case Implementation Act of 2008, to implement the ICJ’s Avena judgment. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Human Rights Watch supports the passage of the bill. Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because of its inherent cruelty and finality.
Related Material
More on the death penalty

AI México: Carta Hu Jintao

Carta abierta al Presidente de la República Popular China
9 julio 2008
Hu Jintao
Presidente de la República Popular China
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie
Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017
República Popular China
1 de julio de 2008
Índice AI: ASA 17/087/2008Ref.: TG ASA 17/2008.015
Excelentísimo Señor:
Cuando queda un mes para que comiencen los tan esperados XXIX Juegos Olímpicos en Pekín, le pido que adopte cinco medidas para el “desarrollo de los derechos humanos” al que se comprometió el Comité de la Candidatura Olímpica de Pekín en 2001. En el último año, Amnistía Internacional ha reunido cientos de miles de voces de todo el mundo que se han hecho eco de esta petición. Me uno a ellas para instarle a que aproveche esta oportunidad histórica para actuar.Amnistía Internacional reconoce los esfuerzos que ha hecho el gobierno chino para abordar algunas cuestiones relativas a los derechos humanos que constituyen motivo de preocupación desde hace tiempo. Me alienta sobre todo el evidente progreso en la reducción del uso de la pena de muerte a través del proceso de revisión del Tribunal Supremo Popular. También aprecio las recientes declaraciones de varias autoridades chinas, como las del presidente de la judicatura, Xiao Yang, en el sentido de que China sigue la tendencia mundial hacia la abolición de la pena de muerte. Amnistía Internacional expresa asimismo su satisfacción ante la noticia de la puesta en libertad de 1.157 personas detenidas en relación con las protestas que hubo en las zonas de China pobladas por tibetanos el pasado mes de marzo. El compromiso oficial con una “libertad completa de los medios de comunicación” y las normas para los periodistas extranjeros representan otro paso hacia delante para c!onvertiren realidad una mayor libertad de expresión para los periodistas.No obstante todo ello, la preparación para los Juegos Olímpicos ha tenido un impacto negativo real en algunas áreas de los derechos humanos. Continúa la persecución oficial de los activistas de derechos humanos, sobre todo de quienes relacionan las violaciones de estos derechos que se cometen en la actualidad con el hecho de que China sea anfitriona de los Juegos Olímpicos, como Ye Guozhu, Hu Jia y Yang Chunlin, que cumplen penas de prisión sólo por haber expresado pacíficamente sus opiniones. La “limpieza” de Pekín mediante el uso generalizado de la reeducación por el trabajo es un hecho preocupante, sobre todo porque hace caso omiso de las peticiones desde el interior del país de que se reforme este sistema arbitrario de reclusión.Amnistía Internacional le pide, por tanto, que aproveche la oportunidad de los Juegos Olímpicos para poner en práctica las siguientes cinco recomendaciones —que cuentan con el apoyo de muchas personas dentro y fuera de China— antes de que se inauguren los Juegos:
* Poner en libertad de todos los presos de conciencia, incluidos Ye Guozhu, Hu Jia, Yang Chunlin y cualquier otra persona detenida en relación con la celebración de los Juegos Olímpicos en China sólo por expresar pacíficamente sus opiniones.
* Impedir que la policía detenga arbitrariamente a personas que organizan y firman peticiones, activistas de derechos humanos y otras personas como parte de la “limpieza” previa a los Juegos Olímpicos.
* Publicar estadísticas nacionales completas sobre la pena de muerte, comprometerse con una reducción del número de delitos punibles con la pena capital —sobre todo de delitos no violentos— e introducir una suspensión de las ejecuciones con arreglo a la resolución 62/149 adoptada por la Asamblea General de la ONU el 18 de diciembre de 2007.
* Permitir pleno acceso y libertad para informar, tanto a los periodistas chinos como a los extranjeros, a todas las regiones de China, conforme a las promesas de “libertad completa para los medios de comunicación” realizadas en el periodo previo a los Juegos Olímpicos.
* Responder de todas las personas que han perdido la vida o fueron detenidas tras las protestas de marzo de 2008 en el Tíbet, y en concreto de las 116 personas que, según reconocen las fuentes oficiales, siguen bajo custodia, y garantizar que las personas detenidas por su participación en protestas pacíficas son puestas en libertad y que las demás reciben un juicio justo.Creo que la aplicación de estos cinco puntos representará un gran paso hacia delante para que los Juegos Olímpicos sean recordados no sólo por los logros en el ámbito deportivo, sino también en el de los derechos humanos.
Atentamente,Irene Khan
Secretaria general

China: Olympics Media Freedom Commitments Violated

China: Olympics Media Freedom Commitments Violated
IOC Ignores Beijing's Broken Pledges and Denial of Access
(Hong Kong, July 7, 2008) - The Chinese government continues to block and threaten foreign journalists despite repeated promises to lift media freedom restrictions ahead of the Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. The Chinese government has prohibited local Chinese-language media from publishing unflattering news ahead of the Games, leaving foreign media as the only source of factual reporting about a wide range of crucial issues in China today.Read more Read the report

Kritik an Sarkozys Reise zur Olympia-Eröffnung

Kritik an Sarkozys Reise zur Olympia-Eröffnung

"Beschämend und armselig"
Der französische Staatspräsident Nicolas Sarkozy hat seine Entscheidung gegen einen Boykott der Olympia-Eröffnungsfeier in Peking verteidigt. "Eine Demütigung Chinas bringt die Menschenrechte nicht voran", sagte der amtierende EU-Ratspräsident vor dem Europaparlament in Straßburg. Vielmehr wolle er zu der Eröffnungsfeier "hinfahren, über die Menschenrechte sprechen und sie verteidigen", sagte Sarkozy. Der französische Präsident begründete seine Entscheidung auch mit der Bedeutung Chinas, des bevölkerungsreichsten Landes der Welt. "Ich glaube nicht, dass man ein Viertel der Menschheit boykottieren kann", so Sarkozy.

Sarkozy hatte im März erwogen, nicht zur Eröffnungsfeier zu fahren.

Sarkozys Entscheidung für den Besuch der Eröffnungsfeier war scharf kritisiert worden, weil er nach der gewaltsamen Niederschlagung antichinesischer Proteste in Tibet im März als erster Staatschef einen Boykott ins Gespräch gebracht hatte.

Sarkozy erwägt Empfang des Dalai Lama
Im August wird das geistliche Oberhaupt der Tibeter, der Dalai Lama, zu einem zehntägigen Besuch in Frankreich erwartet. Sarkozy erwägt, den Dalai Lama persönlich zu empfangen. In diesem Zusammenhang verbat er sich jede Einmischung Chinas: "Es steht China nicht zu, die Termine des französischen Präsidenten zu diktieren", sagte Sarkozy.

Dossier: Boykott oder Spiele? Hintergründe zum Tibet-Konflikt
Laut einem Bericht der Zeitung "Le Figaro" hat der chinesische Botschafter in Paris Frankreich für den Fall eines Empfangs des Dalai Lama durch Sarkozy mit "ernsten Konsequenzen" gedroht.

Besuch ist "eine Schande"
Führende EU-Abgeordnete bekräftigten ihre Kritik daran, dass Sarkozy an der Olympia-Eröffnungsfeier teilnehmen will. "Sie hätten die Gelegenheit, die europäischen Werte zu verteidigen, indem Sie sagen: 'Ich nehme nicht an der Eröffnungsfeier teil, an dieser Schauveranstaltung des kommunistischen chinesischen Regimes'", sagte Grünen-Fraktionschef Daniel Cohn-Bendit. "Es ist eine Schande, zu der Eröffnungsfeier zu gehen."
[Bildunterschrift: Scharfe Kritik von Cohn-Bendit: "Armselig und beschämend!" ]Auch Liberalen-Fraktionschef Graham Watson forderte: "Fahren Sie nicht nach Peking!" Als EU-Ratspräsident sollte Sarkozy "die Tugenden Europas demonstrieren und verlangen, dass die Würde eines jeden Mannes und jeder Frau geachtet wird", sagte Watson.

Resolution verabschiedet
Das EU-Parlament verabschiedete zudem eine Resolution, in der China systematische Menschenrechtsverletzungen vorgeworfen werden. Peking müsse die Versprechen zur Verbesserung der Menschenrechtslage einhalten, die es dem Internationalen Olympischen Komitee (IOK) vor der Vergabe der Spiele gegeben habe. Das EU-Parlament forderte einen "Gnadenerlass für alle inhaftierten politischen Gefangenen und Menschenrechtsaktivisten". Zugleich lobten die Abgeordneten die Reaktion Pekings auf die Erdbebenkatastrophe in der Provinz Sichuan.

Olympia: Frankreich erwägt Teilboykott (25.03.08).
Hintergrund: Tibet, der Dalai Lama und das Verhältnis zu China.
Dossier: Der Tibet-Konflikt

Man Made Hunger

The Group of 8 and man-made hunger
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Thirty countries have already seen food riots this year. The ever higher cost of food could push tens of millions of people into abject poverty and starvation.
To a large degree, this crisis is man-made - the result of misguided energy and farm policies. When heads of the Group of 8 leading industrial nations meet in Japan this week, they must accept their full share of responsibility and lay out clearly what they will do to address this crisis.
To start, they must live up to their 2005 commitment to vastly increase aid to the poorest countries. And they must push other wealthy countries, like those in the Middle East, to help too. They must also commit themselves to reduce or do away with their most egregious agricultural and energy subsidies, which contribute to the spread of hunger throughout the world.
In the last year, the price of corn has risen 70 percent; wheat 55 percent; rice 160 percent. The World Bank estimates that for a group of 41 poor countries the combined shock of rising prices of food, oil and other raw materials over the past 18 months will cost them between 3 and 10 percent of their annual economic output.
Some of the causes are out of governments' control, including the rising cost of energy and fertilizer, and drought in food exporters like Australia. Higher consumption of animal protein in China and India has also driven demand for feed grains.
Wrongheaded policies among rich and poor nations are also playing a big role. Of those, perhaps the most wrongheaded are the tangle of subsidies, mandates and tariffs to encourage the production of biofuels from crops in the United States and the European Union. According to the World Bank, almost all of the growth in global corn production from 2004 to 2007 was devoted to American ethanol production, pushing up corn and animal feed prices and prompting farmers to switch from other crops to corn.
Long-standing farm subsidies in the rich world have also contributed to the crisis, ruining farmers in poor countries and depressing agricultural investment. Rich countries are not the only culprits. At least 30 developing countries have imposed restrictions or bans on the export of foodstuffs. Importing countries are now stockpiling supplies, which takes more food from global markets.
So far there is no sign that the leaders of the developed countries are ready to do what is needed. The United States and Europe have refused to curtail their bio-fuel subsidies or their lavish farm subsidies. They are also falling far short of their aid commitments.
At the 2005 G-8 summit meeting, leaders said that by 2010 wealthier nations would increase annual development aid to poor countries by $50 billion. Yet aid has increased by only $11 billion.
We welcome Bush's pledge to provide $5 billion this year and next to "fight global hunger," but much more must be done. The U.S. remains the stingiest of rich nations when it come to foreign aid.
In a letter to heads of state of the G-8, Robert Zoellick, the World Bank president, estimated that the bank needs $3.5 billion to provide immediate food aid and seed and fertilizer in poor countries. The International Monetary Fund and the World Food Program estimate they need $6.5 billion more in the short term to help feed vulnerable populations. This does not even count the need for essential longer-term investments to increase farm productivity in poor nations in Africa and elsewhere.
As Zoellick wrote, the food crisis is a test of the world's willingness to help the most vulnerable. The leaders gathered in Japan must rise to the challenge.

China: Olympics Media Freedom Commitments Violated

China: Olympics Media Freedom Commitments Violated

IOC Ignores Beijing’s Broken Pledges and Denial of Access
(Hong Kong, July 7, 2008) – The Chinese government continues to block and threaten foreign journalists despite repeated promises to lift media freedom restrictions ahead of the Olympic Games, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today.

Read more Read the report

Doch: Biodiesel ist Schuld!

Die Lebensmittelpreise sind dramatisch angestiegen. Mehr als 100 Millionen Menschen hungern. Schuld daran ist - nach einer Studie der Weltbank - die steigende Produktion von Biodiesel. Vor allem in den USA.

Geheime Studie der Weltbank zur Nahrungsmittelkrise
Biodiesel stärkster Preistreiber
Die Studie birgt - wenn die Zahlen stimmen - eine Menge politischen Sprengstoff. Denn der enorme Anstieg der Preise für Nahrungsmittel, der in vielen Staaten zu Hungerkrisen geführt hat, ist im Wesentlichen auf die massenhafte Produktion von Biokraftstoff zurückzuführen. So das Fazit einer bislang geheim gehaltenen Studie der Weltbank, die der britischen Zeitung "The Guardian" vorliegt. Bis zu 75 Prozent der Preissteigerungen sind demnach auf den Verbrauch von Agrarprodukten und -flächen für die Herstellung von sogenanntem Biodiesel zurückzuführen.

Nur moderate Preissteigerung ohne Biodiesel
"Ohne den Zuwachs bei Biokraftstoffen wäre das weltweite Getreide- und Maisaufkommen nicht so spürbar zurückgegangen und Preissteigerungen durch andere Faktoren wären nur moderat ausgefallen", zitiert das Blatt aus der Studie. Höhere Energie- und Düngemittelpreise seien seit Anfang 2002 bis Februar 2008 lediglich zu 15 Prozent am Steigen der Nahrungsmittelpreise beteiligt gewesen, während die Hauptursache dafür der Ausbau der Biodieselerzeugung sei.
Bei der OECD in Paris will man zwar den Anstieg um 75 Prozent nicht bestätigen, da die Weltbank-Studie zu wenige Details berücksichtige. Gleichwohl hält man auch dort den Trend für richtig: OECD-Direktor Stefan Tangermann kündigte gegenüber tagesschau.de eine eigene umfassende Studie zum Thema an. Diese soll in den kommenden Tagen veröffentlicht werden.

Dossier: Hungerkrise auf drei Kontinenten Reportagen und Hintergründe [mehr]
Schlechte Nachrichten für die Bush-Regierung

Konsequenzen aus der Erhebung der Weltbank erwartet Tangermann nicht. Dafür blieben zu viele Fragen offen. Gleichwohl steht das Ergebnis der Studie in krassem Widerspruch zur offiziellen Haltung Washingtons. US-Präsident George W. Bush hatte stets behauptet, die Erzeugung pflanzlicher Kraftstoffe schlage bei den Preissteigerungen höchstens mit drei Prozent zu Buche, für den massiven Preisanstieg sei vor allem die gestiegene Nachfrage in Indien und China verantwortlich. In den USA wird weltweit am meisten Biosprit produziert.
Entwicklungshilfe-Experten argwöhnen daher, dass die Studie unter Verschluss gehalten wurde, um die Regierung Bush nicht zu brüskieren. "Politische Führer scheinen darauf bedacht zu sein, die Beweise dafür zu unterdrücken, dass Biokraftstoff ein Hauptfaktor der jüngsten Steigerung der Nahrungsmittelpreise ist", sagte Robert Baily, politischer Berater der Hilfsorganisation Oxfam, dem "Guardian".

Bildunterschrift: Hohe Lebensmittelpreise wegen Biosprit, tagesschau 17:00 Uhr [Volker Schwenck, ARD Genf].
Weitere Video-Formate .

Gute Argumente für die Biosprit-Gegner
Als ziemlich sicher darf nun gelten, dass die Ergebnisse der Studie kommende Woche auf dem G8-Gipfel in Japan Thema sein werden. Befürworter eines weltweiten Moratoriums für die Erzeugung pflanzlicher Kraftstoffe könnten sich dann auf die Weltbank-Studie berufen. Zuletzt hatte der UN-Berichterstatter für das Recht auf Nahrung, Jean Ziegler einen Stopp der Produktion von Bio-Kraftstoffen gefordert.

Die steigende Nahrungsmittelpreise haben nach Schätzungen internationaler Hilfsorganisationen dazu geführt, dass in den letzten Jahren weltweit zusätzlich etwa 100 Millionen Menschen in Armut leben müssen.
Öl und Sprit so teuer wie noch nie.
Hintergrund: Warum kehrt der Hunger zurück?.
Uno berät über Ausweg aus Nahrungsmittelkrise.