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Technorati“During his (President Bush’s) visit to Beijing this summer, we urged the President to stress, in both private conversations and public action, that protecting religious freedom means more than just allowing worship,” said Michael Cromartie, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in a statement.
“It also means individuals must enjoy the freedom of expression and association, as well as the right to choose their own leaders and freely educate their children in the principles of their religion.”
Meanwhile, celebrities and human rights activists have staged massive protests and campaigned against China’s close ties with the Sudanese government. The activists demand that China use its Khartoum ties to end the genocide in Darfur, which has killed at least 200,000 people and displaced about 2.5 million since 2003.
American director Steven Spielberg quit his position as the Olympic artistic adviser for the opening and closing ceremonies because of China’s ties with the Darfur genocide.
On Tuesday, more than a dozen U.S. House members asked President Bush in a letter to not attend the Olympic Games in Beijing to protest China’s human rights records. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had earlier called Bush to boycott the opening ceremony.
The Beijing Olympic Games will take place Aug. 8-24.
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