China faces storm over Internet block

German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schauble expressed concern at China’s failure to keep a promise to allow unhindered access to the Internet for journalists covering the Games which start August 8.

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) called on the IOC to make China keep its commitment. The Reporters Without Borders watchdog said it was “yet another broken promise” by China since it was awarded the Games.

China has already rejected a call by the United States to allow Internet freedom and insisted it will keep up controls of Web sites that it has banned.

IOC press chief Kevan Gosper said he believed that China had reached “an understanding” with Olympic officials that would allow the Internet censorship. He did not say who had made the deal with China.

The German minister, who is in charge of sports affairs, said he was “worried at the fact that (China) has moved away from its commitments” on media freedom.

“As far as we can have an influence, we demand that promises made are kept,” Schauble added.

Michael Vesper, director of the German Olympic Committee and head of the German delegation in Beijing, said IOC president Jacques Rogge should take a stand on Internet freedom.

“The Chinese organisers are scoring an own goal,” said Vesper.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former Czech president Vaclav Havel were among international personalities to sign a letter calling on the IOC to ensure full access to information.

Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng and European parliament vice president Edward McMillan-Scott also signed the letter released through the Olympic Watch rights watchdog.

“We are concerned that the Beijing Olympics might simply become a giant spectacle to distract the attention of the international public from the violations of human and civil rights in China and in other countries with the Chinese government’s significant influence,” said the letter.

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