Olympics: Protesters will be kept in pens during games

Tania Branigan
London Guardian
Thursday, July 24, 2008

China will create three “protest pens” in the capital’s parks to allow people to demonstrate during the Olympics, an official said yesterday.

The move follows speculation as to whether the government, which strictly limits protests, would allow public displays of dissent, especially given that the games have already been the target of campaigns on issues ranging from media freedom to Darfur and Tibet.

“This will allow people to protest without disrupting the Olympics,” said Ni Jianping, the director of the Shanghai Institute of American Studies, who had lobbied for the creation of the zones.

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But Human Rights Watch attacked the decision, arguing that the restrictions undermined the right to demonstrate under international law.

Nicholas Bequelin, a spokesman for HRW, said: “The obstacles and deterrents are so high as to negate the right to demonstrate.

“We are also concerned about the possibility that the authorities might use the existence of these zones to justify repressive measures against demonstrators outside of the zones.

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