But for many of them, politics and human rights appear to be an issue. They asked the IOC to raise the cases of their relatives, democracy activists Fang Jue and Jiang Qisheng, and to demand that they be treated in accordance with the Chinese constitution and international human rights norms. Opposition to the bid He Depu, the Beijing-based organizer for the dissident China Democracy Party, also opposes Beijing's Olympic bid. Many of his fellow party members are now in jail, and he himself is under close surveillance. These factors cannot be ignored, especially since China has terrible human rights conditions.
Political prisoners receive very bad treatment in jail.
Others worry that preparations for the Olympics may steamroller over other social priorities, or give local officials the prerogative to disregard residents rights and interests if they conflict with Olympic construction plans. Take Song Zaimin, who until recently owned a restaurant in a Beijing suburb. His family lived in the back of the restaurant, in a small building rented from the local government. Now the restaurant is a pile of rubble. Workers put his belongings in a shed behind the construction site.