Countries
China

The People’s Republic of China is located in Eastern Asia, it is the most populated country in the world.

China is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, one of the five countries to possess veto power. The National People’s Congress elected President Hu Jintao in 2003.

The Olympic Games in China in 2008 brought to light many of the human rights violations occurring in the country. The government has attempted to restrict any freedom of expression for  fear of possible turmoil around “sensitive” anniversaries, such as the twentieth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the sixtieth anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic. Events where activists would be likely to stage commemoration or protests are either restricted or repressed using various technical and physical means. In preparation for the Olympics, the government seized large amounts of land from low-income individuals in order to make space for Olympic stadiums: these individuals were not allowed to speak out without threat of retaliation.

State control of human rights defenders, the religious community, ethnic minorities - particularly Tibetans -  lawyers, journalists and organizations has increased in recent years.
Limitation to the freedom of expression, political  association and religion are major problems within the country, as authorities control the Internet, religious institutions and just about every other organizational structure in the country. Journalists and Internet-users are harassed and often imprisoned for peacefully expressing their opinions.
Punitive forms of detention also known as “re-education through labour”  are often used to silence critical voices, and increased during the Olympic Games. While many human rights abuses were revealed during the Olympics, China has done little to improve their human rights record since 2008.