China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Games and Olympian Human Rights Challenges

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are an historic opportunity for China to show the world it has theconfidence to make progress in ensuring basic human rights for its 1.3 billion citizens. With a few months until the opening ceremonies however, the Chinese government is more worried about political stability, and is tightening its grip on domestic human rights defenders, grassroots activists, and the media to choke off any possible expressions of dissent ahead of the Games. Minky Worden will discuss the crackdown on press freedom, forced evictions, house arrests, and the exploitation of migrant workers in preparation for the Olympics.

As Media Director of Human Rights Watch, Minky Worden works with the world’s journalists to help them cover crises, wars, human rights abuses and political developments in more than 70 countries worldwide. From 1992-1998, Ms. Worden lived and worked in Hong Kong as the chief of staff for Democratic Party chairman Martin Lee. Ms. Worden is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks Cantonese and German, and is an elected member of the Overseas Press Club’s Board of Governors. She is the editor of China’s Great Leap: The Beijing Gamesand Olympian Human Rights Challenges, to be published by Seven Stories in May 2008.

Sponsored by the Santa Barbara Chapter of Human Rights Watch, Global & International Studies Program, and the Law and Society Program.

hm 4/23; jwil 4/28