When China made its bid for the 2008 Olympics, government authorities promised improvements in human rights. Six years on, China remains a country that executes, tortures and silences its citizens.

The deadline is looming.

Amnesty International is urging the Chinese authorities to step up their human rights reforms and uphold the legacy of the Olympic Games.

Amnesty's Campaign Goals

An end to executions

The death penalty violates the right to life and is an affront to human dignity. Conditions of detention on death row in China are often cruel and degrading.

The authorities in China must clarify how many people are executed each year, and cut the number of capital crimes.

Fair trials for all

China's Re-education Through Labour programme violates the right to fair trial and the prohibition of forced labour. People on programmes like this risk torture and ill-treatment.

Beijing City and state authorities must clean up their approach to 'cleaning' up the city.

Respect for human rights defenders

Chinese human rights defenders are harassed, assaulted and imprisoned for their legitimate protests. This violates their right to freedom of expression, assembly and association.

Chinese human rights defenders must be free to highlight issues of concern before, during and after the Games.

Freedom from censorship

Unwarranted censorship of the internet violates the rights to freedom of expression and information.

If the Olympics are to be high tech and encourage full media freedom, there must be unrestricted access to the internet across China.

Find out more

See our diary pages for the next meeting on the campaign or see the campaign homepage on amnesty.org.uk where you will find a huge amount of information.