See no evil, speak no evil

Q. What do Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, Glenys Kinnock MEP, Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, author Dave Eggers, actress Emma Thompson and Def Jam founder Russell Simmons have in common?

A. They're all signatories to the open letter published in today's Independent that urges the Chinese government to act on Darfur and ensure it behaves in a manner "commensurate with the Olympic ideals of peace and international co-operation".

And this a day after Steven Spielberg decided to listen to his conscience and withdrew from his role as artistic advisor to the Beijing Games because of China's continued inaction with respect to Darfur.

Of course, it's great that this is at last making front pages, but what has been less widely reported is that the British Olympic Association had demanded that British athletes sign a contract promising that they would keep silent about the issue of human rights abuses within China itself. So, credit to Amnesty, whose response has forced the BOA to back down and accept that athletes shouldn't be gagged.

But while their right to freedom of speech has been recognised, many Chinese citizens are not being afforded the same basic respect. Despite China's promises to take significant steps towards improving its human rights record, Amnesty UK Campaigns Director Tim Hancock has said that "if anything things are getting worse - we're deeply worried that activists and journalists are being locked up or harassed to silence them. And there are concerns that the streets of Beijing are being 'cleaned up' by throwing undesirables into 'Re-education Through Labour' camps without any trial".

You can find out more about Amnesty's campaign here.