Chinese authorities arrested Hu Jia an Internet Journalist last week at his Beijing home for Subverting State Authority a charge often times used against dissidents.
Hu was at home with his wife Zeng Jinyan who is also a Blogger and Activist when 20 Policemen burst through their front door frightening their 6 week year old daughter Hu Qianci along with Zeng's Grandmother that was staying at their home helping to care for the new born. Immediately upon entering their home on December 27 around 3:00 pm the Police disconnected the Internet and phone lines and Police remained in their home after Hu was taken away, to prevent Zeng from communicating with anyone.
Using his web came on November 26 Hu participated in a European Parliamentary Hearing which was taking place in Brussels on the Human Rights situation in China. Hu said during the hearing, "...it is Ironic that one of the people in charge of organizing the Olympic games is the head of the Bureau of Public Security, which is responsible for so many of the human rights violations. It is very serious that the official promises are not being kept before the games."
Chinese authorities have likewise arrested Shi Tao who had worked for the Dangadi Shang Bao---"Contemporary Business News" Shi was convicted on April 30 for sending foreign based websites the texts of internal messages which the authorities had sent to the newspaper, warning journalists of the dangers of social destabilization and risks resulting from the return of dissidents following the Tiananmen Square massacre---Chinese State Security insisted during Shi's trial that the message was Jue Mi "Top Secret" Shi has acknowledged sending out the message by e-mail but denies that it was Jue Mi. Currently this Journalist is imprisoned in Changsha in the northeastern city of Taiyuan.
China's dismal human rights record and continued crackdown on news, information, the Internet and Journalism may spoil the hopes of the government to improve its image throughout the world---the Chinese government had prevented Hu Jia and his wife Zeng Jinyan from leaving the country, clamping them under house arrest until Hu was arrested last week.
Dr. Jiang Yanyong, who had exposed the Chinese government cover-up of the 2003 SARS outbreak, has been denied permission to travel to the United States to receive a New York Academy of Sciences Human Rights Award.
"Political repression is not in keeping with the behavior of a responsible power and Olympic host" said Brad Adams, Asia
Director of Human Rights Watch.
