ABSTRACT
Human rights and athletes’ rights took a beating during the Beijing Olympics. Although
China has become a much more open and prosperous society in recent years, in the
build-up to the Games the government repeatedly cracked down on open protest and
public dissent. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch documented forced
removals of inner-city residents to clear the ground for Olympic construction and forced
removals of minority workers from the city; the increased arrest, detention and
harassment of critics, including those brave enough to apply to speak at ‘protest zones’;
and repeated violations of media freedom for Chinese and international media, including
Olympic-accredited journalists. During the Games, websites were blocked on the
internet.
