SRES 633 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the deterioration of respect for privacy and human rights in the People’s Republic of China before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

July 30, 2008CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. BROWNBACK (for himself and Mr. BUNNING) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign RelationsCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Expressing the sense of the Senate on the deterioration of respect for privacy and human rights in the People’s Republic of China before the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on July 13, 2001, the International Olympic Committee announced the awarding of the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing, People’s Republic of China;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, prior to that announcement, the bidding documents submitted by the Government of the People’s Republic of China to the International Olympic Committee stated, ‘We are confident that the Games coming to China not only promotes our economy, but also enhances . . . human rights.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas those documents also stated, ‘There will be no restrictions on journalists in reporting on the Olympic Games. . . . There will be no restriction concerning the use of media material produced in China and intended principally for broadcast outside.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas Beijing’s Action Plan for the Olympics states, ‘In the preparation for the Games, we will be open in every aspect to the rest of the country and the whole world.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on April 23, 2002, after the Olympic Games had been awarded to Beijing, the President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, said, ‘We are convinced that the Olympic Games will improve the human rights record [in China].’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on March 13, 2008, the United States Department of State released the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas the report on the People’s Republic of China states that in 2007 the Government of the People’s Republic of China ‘tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and the press, particularly in anticipation of and during sensitive events, including increased efforts to control and censor the Internet’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas that report also states that in 2007 authorities of the People’s Republic of China ‘monitored telephone conversations, facsimile transmissions, e-mail, text messaging, and Internet communications’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on July 29, 2008, Amnesty International released a report entitled ‘People’s Republic of China: The Olympics Countdown--Broken Promises’, which finds, regarding the promises of the Government of the People’s Republic of China to the International Olympic Committee in 2001, ‘[T]here has been no progress towards fulfilling these promises, only continued deterioration. . . . In fact, the crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and lawyers has intensified because Beijing is hosting the Olympics.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, that report also states, ‘Chinese journalists continue to operate in a climate of official censorship and control, with many still languishing in jail for reporting on issues deemed politically sensitive. Internet controls have been increasingly tightened as the Olympics approach with control, regulation and censorship extending to various categories of internet users, including Internet Service Providers, bloggers and website owners. Numerous websites have been closed down for providing information deemed sensitive by the authorities. Internet users who post such information risk detention, prosecution and imprisonment.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, in April 2008, the Government of the People’s Republic of China issued an order requiring hotels to allow the Public Security Bureau to install hardware devices and new software programs on the hotel networks that are designed to send sensitive information about users, including foreign visitors and journalists, to the Public Security Bureau;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on July 29, 2008, Agence France-Presse reported that ‘China will censor the Internet used by foreign media during the Olympics . . . reversing a pledge to offer complete media freedom at the games’, citing confirmation by Sun Weide, spokesman for the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas the Olympic Charter states that the mission of the International Olympic Committee is ‘to promote a positive legacy from the Olympic Games to the host cities and host countries’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on December 25, 2007, the Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, stated, ‘The Games can act as a catalyst and contribute to the opening of a society.’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Whereas, on March 23, 2008, the President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, stated that the Olympic Games are a ‘force for good’: Now, therefore, be itCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Resolved, That the Senate--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) calls upon the Government of the People’s Republic of China--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) to rescind the order requiring hotels to allow the Public Security Bureau to install hardware and software on the hotel networks; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) to refrain from targeting, on the basis of information collected from Internet monitoring, any individual who visits websites related to politics or human rights or who expresses opinions related to politics or human rights in electronic communication;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) expresses grave concern regarding the deterioration of respect for human rights in the People’s Republic of China leading up to the Beijing Olympics;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) notes that the behavior of the Government of the People’s Republic of China violates several international conventions to which the country is a signatory, violates the Government’s commitments to the International Olympic Committee, and is contrary to longstanding Olympic tradition and spirit; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) remains concerned for the safety and privacy of international visitors and journalists traveling to the People’s Republic of China for the Beijing Olympics, in particular visitors and journalists involved in documenting human rights abuses and promoting human rights improvements.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink