Hu Jia charged

Aids campaigner and 'prisoner of freedom city' Hu Jia, having been arrested in his own home at the end of last year, now faces charges of 'stiring up subversion against the government', a meaningless and utterly odious claim against a man who has commited no real crime. Hu had already been kept under house arrest for some months last year, but internet access allowed them to get their stories out. Hu was then arrested at the end of last year without specific charge, and his wife and new-born daughter were held under house arrest also. Now there is no way of knowing his current state, but at the very least the government will try to keep him from public view until after the olympics. There is also the distinct possibility that he will be tortured as other human rights protestors arrested under similar circumstances have been. There is nothing I can say but that it is in this kind of action that the Chinese government shows its true face. Later this year tens of thousands of tourists, journalists and sports fans will pour into Beijing, I hope that at least some of them will take the time to understand the true evil of the Chinese communist party. For myself, I want nothing to do with the olympics, and I am glad to see that at least some of the great and good agree with me.