Dozens of people remain imprisoned for taking part in the 1989 pro-democracy protests centered in Tiananmen Square, though releasing them would improve China’s image ahead of the Beijing Olympics this summer, a human rights group said.
New York-based Human Rights Watch said about 130 prisoners are still being held for their role in the demonstrations that were crushed in a brutal military crackdown. The square in the heart of the Chinese capital is expected to feature prominently in media coverage of the Olympics, although authorities worry about the possibility of fresh protests marring the event.
“The Chinese government should show the global Olympic audience it’s serious about human rights by releasing the Tiananmen detainees,” Sophie Richardson, the group’s Asia advocacy director, said in a statement released Monday in New York.
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