Spotlight on China abuses

THE Global Human Rights Torch Relay passed through Healesville last week to raise awareness of human rights violations in China ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
A small crowd of supporters came to hear local author and psychologist Dr Bob Rich and former Olympian swimmer Jan Becker speak about the human rights violations in China, particularly the ongoing persecution of the Falun Gong movement.
“China got the Olympics because they promised to improve their human rights,” Ms Becker said. Ms Becker said compared the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin which was under a Nazi dictatorship.
Mr Rich urged people not to support China in any way until its human rights situation improved.
“What’s being done in China today is no worse than what the Nazis did,” Mr Rich said.
“I don’t care what the Falun Gong do but they’re people and they deserve to be treated with humanity.”