China Censors Reporters

The Chinese continue to display their inability to fulfill promises made to the
Olympic Committee. When Beijing was selected to host the '08 Olympics, the Chinese agreed to made information fully available to reporters so they could have "complete freedom to report." Flash forward to 2008, the IOC and Chinese officials are admitting that certain websites that don't pertain to the Games will be blocked from reporters. It is sad that the IOC continues to turn a blind eye to Chinese government as Olympic sponsors cash in on China's booming economy.

UPDATE:
A BusinessWeek article covers the string of broken promises from the Chinese.

Continuation of abuse of human rights:

On July 29, for instance, Amnesty International published a report critical of the Chinese government's human-rights policy. According to an Amnesty statement, "there has been little progress towards fulfilling the Chinese authorities' promise to improve human rights, but rather continued deterioration in key areas."

Continued censorship:

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders in a statement on its Web site has condemned the Chinese government's censorship policy and the International Olympic Committee's willingness to go along with it. "The organization also condemns the cynicism of the Chinese authorities, who have yet again lied," the Reporters Without Borders statement said, "and the IOC's inability to prevent this situation because of its refusal to speak out for several years."

Displacement of citizens:

On July 29, the group issued a report on the government's treatment of people opposed to the demolition of housing and the eviction of residents in Beijing to make room for Games venues. Human Rights Watch focused on Ni Yulan, an activist whom it said the government will put on trial Aug. 4. "To try her on the eve of the Games is an extraordinary insult to those who lost their homes to the Beijing Olympics and shows contempt for human-rights concerns raised by the international community," said Sophie Richardson, the NGO's Asia advocacy director, in a Human Rights Watch statement.

Greenpeace is somewhat happy, though:

Greenpeace in a recent report praised some of the government's work to improve the environment before the Games. "A number of Beijing's achievements represent best environmental practice," a Greenpeace report published on July 28 said. "In our analysis from the information available, Greenpeace found that Beijing achieved and in some cases surpassed original environmental goals," the group added, although the NGO's report said leaders "also missed some opportunities that could have ensured a better short- and long-term environmental Olympic legacy for the city."

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