Taiwanese human rights activists have announced they will start a rival Olympic torch relay next week to draw attention to China’s human rights abuses.
The ‘human rights torch’ will be lit in Athens next Thursday – a day after Beijing starts its one-year countdown to the Games.
It will then travel to 100 cities worldwide.
The torch relay activists say they are especially concerned with the treatment of Tibetans following the Chinese Government’s promise to “tighten security” in Tibet over the next year.
New York-based Human Rights Watch has also accused China of preparing for a trouble-free Olympics by gagging dissidents and blocking independent media coverage.
