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

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