China gives 6 American protesters 10-day detentions
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/23/sports/olympics/23protest.html?ex=1377230400&en=e1c24cfce5...
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A group of six Americans who were taken into custody on Tuesday as they tried to protest China’s rule in Tibet have been given 10-day detentions, the Chinese police confirmed Friday.
But activists from the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet said Friday that they had no information about four other protesters who were detained early Thursday during a protest near National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest. The four are two Americans, a German and a Briton.
Extrajudicial detentions, a common punishment for Chinese dissidents, are rarely handed out to foreigners, who are often deported almost immediately after being taken into custody.
Members of Students for a Free Tibet have staged eight protests involving 55 people since the Olympics began on Aug. 8. Human rights advocates speculated that the government might be seeking to deter those contemplating similar activities in the Games’ final days.
J. Alexander Hamilton, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Beijing, said United States officials were working with Chinese authorities to gain more information about the detainees. “Our policy is to encourage the Chinese government to respect free expression and freedom of religion, which are protected by law,” he said.
Reached by phone, Public Security Bureau officials declined to comment but faxed a two-sentence statement explaining that the six Americans had been “apprehended for upsetting public order.” The statement, which did not include the detainees’ names, said the men were being held at the Dongcheng police station in Beijing.
According to Students for a Free Tibet, among those in custody are Brian Conley, 28, a video blogger from Philadelphia, and James Powderly, 31, an artist from New York who had planned to project the words “Free Tibet” on a building with laser beams. The others are Jeff Goldin, 40, Michael Liss, 35, and Tom Grant, 39, all from New York; and Jeffrey Rae, 28, from Philadelphia.
Five other Americans who were detained Tuesday were deported Wednesday. They had raised a banner near National Stadium with “Free Tibet” spelled out in lights in English and Chinese.
The organization was founded in 1994 and claims 650 chapters worldwide, at schools in more than 30 nations. Most of its demonstrations here have involved unfurling “Free Tibet” banners or displaying Tibetan flags, which are illegal in China.
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But activists from the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet said Friday that they had no information about four other protesters who were detained early Thursday during a protest near National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest. The four are two Americans, a German and a Briton.
Extrajudicial detentions, a common punishment for Chinese dissidents, are rarely handed out to foreigners, who are often deported almost immediately after being taken into custody.
Members of Students for a Free Tibet have staged eight protests involving 55 people since the Olympics began on Aug. 8. Human rights advocates speculated that the government might be seeking to deter those contemplating similar activities in the Games’ final days.
J. Alexander Hamilton, a spokesman for the American Embassy in Beijing, said United States officials were working with Chinese authorities to gain more information about the detainees. “Our policy is to encourage the Chinese government to respect free expression and freedom of religion, which are protected by law,” he said.
Reached by phone, Public Security Bureau officials declined to comment but faxed a two-sentence statement explaining that the six Americans had been “apprehended for upsetting public order.” The statement, which did not include the detainees’ names, said the men were being held at the Dongcheng police station in Beijing.
According to Students for a Free Tibet, among those in custody are Brian Conley, 28, a video blogger from Philadelphia, and James Powderly, 31, an artist from New York who had planned to project the words “Free Tibet” on a building with laser beams. The others are Jeff Goldin, 40, Michael Liss, 35, and Tom Grant, 39, all from New York; and Jeffrey Rae, 28, from Philadelphia.
Five other Americans who were detained Tuesday were deported Wednesday. They had raised a banner near National Stadium with “Free Tibet” spelled out in lights in English and Chinese.
The organization was founded in 1994 and claims 650 chapters worldwide, at schools in more than 30 nations. Most of its demonstrations here have involved unfurling “Free Tibet” banners or displaying Tibetan flags, which are illegal in China.
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