On Wednesday, China celebrated the beginning of its one-year countdown to the Beijing Olympics. Festivities and fireworks animated Tiananmen Square, a gathering place known also for its bloody memories. A band onstage guided the crowd through the proud new Beijing pop anthem “We Are Ready.”

Human rights activists, with less pomp but considerable courage, also observed the Olympics pre-anniversary.

On Tuesday, 40 well-known scholars, lawyers and writers released an open letter to Chinese and world leaders. The letter expressed, respectfully, deep concerns over China’s human rights policies, particularly in light of the Beijing Olympic Committee’s stated objectives of hosting an open, green, and humane Olympics. [Full Text]

Read also “One World, One Dream” and Universal Human Rights: An Open Letter to Chinese and World Leaders on the 2008 Beijing Olympics from Chinese Human Rights Defenders:

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Read the rest of ‘One World, One Dream’ – Washington Post editorial (1,927 words)

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Post tags: activists, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Ding Zilin, jiang peikun, Olympics human rights
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