WHAT: Protest LA Mayor Villaraigosa's use of taxpayers' money to promote the Beijing Olympics with a parade in Hollywood.

WHEN: Saturday, March 3, 2007
11:00 a.m.
WHERE: In front of the Grauman's Chinese Theater, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Ca. 90028
Sponsoring Organizations: To be announced
Contact: 310-539-0234
Background Information:
The Mayor is expected to open the parade Saturday, March 3.
The LA Convention and Visitors Bureau is helping to promote the parade in Hollywood at their web site
http://www.seemyla.com/visitor_information_visitla.aspx
The U.S. State Department has consistently listed China as one of the worst violators of human rights with torture, forced abortions, forced labor, detention of religious groups such as the underground Christians, executions for nonviolent crimes, harassment and imprisoned of journalists, internet writers and attorneys. The Mayor should not help promote that country.
Calling for the release of Shi Tao, Ching Cheong and Chen Guangcheng

We will be highlighting the following prisoners of conscience:

Shi Tao - In April 2004, the Chinese journalist Shi Tao used his Yahoo! email account to send a message to a U.S.-based pro-democracy website. In his email, he summarized a government order directing media organizations in China to downplay the upcoming 15th anniversary of the 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy activists. Police arrested him in November 2004, charging him with "illegally providing state secrets to foreign entities." Authorities used email account holder information supplied by Yahoo! to convict Shi Tao in April 2005 and sentence him to 10 years in prison.

Ching Cheong - On August 2006, Singapore Strait Times journalist Ching Cheong was sentenced to five years in prison for the charge of "spying" after being lured into China in 2005. According to Paris based Reporters Without Borders, "His defense was denied the right to speak for him and this political trial was held in appalling conditions.” The worldwide press freedom organization further said. “Every journalist working in China should feel concerned about this and should campaign for Ching Cheong’s release.”

Chen Guangcheng - In 2005, human rights activist Chen Guangcheng heard reports that local authorities in Linyi City in Shandong Province had allegedly forced thousands of women to undergo abortions and sterilizations in an illegal effort to compel them to adhere to China’s restrictive population control policies. Mr. Chen helped villagers launch a lawsuit against the Linyi authorities. Authorities retaliated by subjecting Mr. Chen to arbitrary detention, beatings and intimidation. In 2006, they charged Chen Guangcheng, who is blind, with “damaging public property and gathering people to block traffic,” and detained him incommunicado. In August 2006, he was convicted following a trial that lasted less than two hours. His lawyers were denied access to him. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison.