Rally for Human Rights in China

"Ohne Menschenrecht, kein Olympischen Spiel" (German for "Without Human Rights, No Olympics in China"). This was the rally/protest that I visited in Duesseldorf last weekend (October 27). The campaign is a worldwide campaign and I believe that it deserves some attention on my blog even though it is not strictly a German/European experience. You can read more at http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/08/02/china16560.htm or http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-9-1/59285.html or http://chinaview.wordpress.com/2007/10/07/no-human-rights-no-olympic-games-in-china-speech-by-david-matas/ . The Chinese government has been using the Olympic games as an excuse to persecute protesters and those who defend Human Rights in China. They are using the games as an excuse to imprison practitioners of the Falun Gong religion. Prisoners are then required to work from 5 a.m. until midnight in sweat shop conditions. They are fed little and are only allowed 2-3 trips to the bathroom a day. A modern day work/concentration camp is a good way to describe the conditions. Doctors are also removing organs from the prisoners in order to sell them on the black market to people who need new organs....the stories of camp survivors are truly horrifying and the whole operation runs contrary to what the Olympic spirit is all about. The protest is not against the athletes, the games, or the Chinese people themselves, rather it is requesting that people stand up to the Chinese government and stop turning a blind eye to this atrocious human rights abuse.
As part of both my concern for Human Rights and my hope to be involved in International Human Rights law in the future this is a cause that I care deeply about.