Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, have been petitioning since being forcibly evicted from their Beijing homes in 2001 as part of an urban renewal project. The pair received the penalty after attempting to take advantage of a government announcement that protests would be allowed in three Beijing parks during the Olympic festival. Police acknowledge that none of 77 applications have been approved, The Times of London reported Wednesday.

The two women were notified Sunday that as a result of their "disturbing of public order" they were required to serve one year of re-education through labor. There is no judicial or appeal process and their movements will be monitored with the possibility of removal to a camp, The Times said.

"Wang Xiuying is almost blind and crippled. What sort of re-education through labor can she serve? But they can also be taken away at any time," Li Xuehui, son of Wu, told The Times, adding that he two women had remained at home under observation by a neighborhood watch group.