Amnesty issues Olympics warning

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The organisation published a report calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to put pressure on the Chinese government to ensure that promises made over human rights are met.

And on the eve of the "one year to go" mark, it also urged authorities in China to guarantee progress in four key areas.

The report, The Olympics Countdown - One Year Left To Fulfil Human Rights Promises, acknowledges that progress has been made but says more needs to be done before the opening ceremony on August 8 2008.

A lack of transparency on the use of the death penalty, the use of detention without trial, the targeting of activist groups and the censorship of journalists and the internet are all highlighted as areas of concern.

It also criticises "the apparent reluctance of the IOC to take a more proactive stance on human rights issues in the run-up to the Olympics".

Amnesty International UK director Kate Allen said: "This report is a disturbing reminder of how far China still has to go to make good its promise to use the Olympics as a spur to improving human rights.

"With journalists, lawyers and activists being imprisoned, with the internet heavily controlled and censored, and with even housing rights campaigners being locked up for complaining about people evicted from their homes to make way for the Games, the situation is extremely serious.

"To put it mildly, China would win no medals for human rights today. We're urging the Chinese government to ensure that Beijing 2008 will deliver a marvellous Olympic games but also deliver genuine improvements for human rights in China."

A spokesperson for the IOC said it had only recently received the report and would be making a response to it in due course, but that the organisation was committed to working with non-governmental organisations in the run up to the games.