The Beijing Olympics in china are around the corner. They will be big games not just for the fact that they are the Olympics after all but also that these games will be very political.

When china made it’s bid for the Olympics the government authorities promised improvements in human rights but six years on serious human rights violations are still being made what’s worse is the crisis in Tibet has got worse.

You hear it all on the news, Tibet this. Monks that but what really is happening in Tibet?

China had led a military assault on Tibet in 1950 where they had signed the “seventeen point agreement” which gave China control over Tibet’s external affairs and allowed Chinese military occupation in return to safeguard Tibet’s political system. Then there was a widespread of open rebellion against having the Chinese rule within Tibet in 1956. Tibet has enjoyed mixed fortunes where people were given the freedom to practise their religion because of the monks and nuns however some monks and nuns still face persecution by the Chinese government.

On the 10th of March 15 Buddhist monks were detained for staging a peaceful demonstration in Barkhor Lhasa, the capital of Tibetan Autonomous Region. These protests were fuelled by day to day grievances as well as a desire for Tibetan independence. No one knows there whereabouts and are risk of serious human rights
Abuse, ill treatment and torture and that is being done by the country that will be hosting this years Olympics.

Human rights abuse was something that went on ages ago but here we are in the 21st centaury and it still happens people and not just people monks are getting arrested for demonstrating and not a radical demonstration something that was peaceful. It‘s important to stand up against it.. I’m not telling you to boycott this years Olympics but be aware of the political conflict within it. Get involved with Amnesty international and help fight the issue in Tibet.