Once again the Chinese government shows it's true colors, Olympics or no:
"Two elderly Chinese women have been sentenced to a year of “re-education through labor” after they repeatedly sought a permit to demonstrate in one of the official Olympic protest areas, according to family members and human rights advocates. The women, Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, had made five visits to the police this month in an effort to get permission to protest what they contended was inadequate compensation for the demolition of their homes in Beijing. During their final visit on Monday, public security officials informed them that they had been given administrative sentences for “disturbing the public order,” according to Li Xuehui, Ms. Wu’s son. Mr. Li said his mother and Ms. Wang, who used to be neighbors before their homes were demolished to make way for a redevelopment project, were allowed to return home but were told they could be sent to a detention center at any moment. “Can you imagine two old ladies in their 70s being re-educated through labor?” he asked. He said Ms. Wang was nearly blind. A man who answered the phone at the Public Security Bureau declined to give out information about the case."
I'm glad that some in the news media are continuing to publicize cases like this, despite all the good feelings engendered by the Olympics. Perhaps it's good that the Olympics were held in China--it's served also to remind us (again, because we always need it) of just what dictatorship is.
