Amnesty student activists Ctrl Alt Del human rights in China
Amnesty International New Zealand today launched its new-look campaigning website created specifically for student
activists.
The website allows students to take action as part of the Freedom Challenge, Amnesty's annual team challenge for New
Zealand youth. It has been designed pro-bono by creative technology company Chrometoaster,
"Freedom Challenge is a chance for Amnesty's one hundred student groups to take action on the burning human rights
issues of the day,' explains Freedom Challenge Coordinator Jay Crangle.
"This year Freedom Challenge is focusing on human rights in China in the run up to the Beijing Olympics."
By visiting www.freedomchallenge.org.nz students have the opportunity to sign an online wall to show their support for
an improvement in human rights in China.
"One of Amnesty's key concerns in China is internet and media censorship. Journalists and bloggers alike have been
imprisoned for expressing their views on the internet. Our students can help counter that repression by taking action
on-line," says Crangle.
All signatures on the online wall will be forwarded to Chinese President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.
Internet freedom is particularly pertinent with news overnight that the Beijing Olympic's Press Centre has denied
journalists access to the Amnesty website www.amnesty.org amongst a number of websites, including the Chinese version of
the BBC and Taiwan newspaper Liberty Times.
"Such censorship is a complete breach of the Chinese Government's promise of media and internet freedom around the
Olympics. It raises concerns that the pattern of serious human rights abuses Amnesty International has documented in the
build–up to the Olympics will continue or intensifywhen the eyes of the world cease to be on China, says AIANZ
spokesperson Margaret Taylor
ENDS