[JURIST] China is not doing enough to remedy human rights abuses [press release] prior to the 2008 Olympics [official website] in Beijing, according to a report [text] released by Amnesty International [advocacy website] Monday. The group criticized China for the use of increased restrictions on domestic media and the Internet [JURIST reports] and for continuing to allow criminal suspects to be jailed for up to four years without trial, which many say has been used to detain political and religious activists. The rights watchdog said it welcomed China's decision to have all death penalty cases reviewed [JURIST report] by China's Supreme People's Court [official website] and revised rules which no longer mandate government approval prior to interviews by foreign journalists, but called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) [official website] to pressure the country to make more headway on its overall rights record.

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs [official website] responded with its own statement Monday rejecting Amnesty's accusations, labeling the group as an "organization with political prejudice." IOC members have just returned from spending two weeks in China [JURIST news archive] meeting with governmental officials and said they will need to further review Amnesty's report before responding to it. AP has more.