Amnesty Int'l: Liitle progress in China

BEIJING, July 29 (UPI) -- Amnesty International says the Chinese government has failed to live up to promises to improve human rights in the run-up to the Beijing Olympic Games.

The report, entitled "The Olympics Countdown: Broken Promises," says little progress has been made in China on the death penalty, arbitrary detentions, persecution of human rights activists and freedom of the press, CNN reported Tuesday.

Amnesty officials said China made promises to improve such concerns as media freedom and healthcare before winning the nod to host the Summer Games. But since then, they contend, Beijing has to continued to arrest people it believes threatens the image of harmony it wants to present to the world, the broadcaster said.

"By continuing to persecute and punish those who speak out for human rights, the Chinese authorities have lost sight of the promises they made when they were granted the Games seven years ago," Roseann Rife, deputy director of Amnesty International, said in a statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told CNN: "We hope Amnesty can take off the tinted glasses it has worn for many years and see China in an objective way."