The double whammy of increased internet censorship coupled with the news that the Public Security Bureau had installed spying software in international hotels flies in the face of promises for complete media freedom made by the Chinese authorities when they won the right to host the Olympic Games in 2001.

When it was awarded the Olympic Games, China pledged to uphold the values of human dignity associated with the Olympian tradition. It promised an improvement in human rights, media freedom and better provision in health and education. But Amnesty International’s report, entitled The Olympics Countdown: Broken Promises, says the opposite has occurred.