China: Hu Jia's Fate a Test of Beijing's Human Rights Stance
26 Feb 2008 22:14:23 GMT
Source: Human Rights Watch
(New York, February 26, 2008) – The Chinese authorities should release leading human rights activist Hu Jia and drop charges of subversion against him, Human Rights Watch said today. The case of Hu Jia, who will as of February 27 have been detained for two months, has become emblematic of Beijing's broad attempt to suppress dissent ahead of the Olympic Games.
"The longer Hu Jia is in detention, the worse China's image will be," said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "With fewer than six months to go before the Olympics, the Chinese government has everything to gain and nothing to lose by releasing him."
