传真： +41-21-621 62 16  
Chǎteau de Vidy，1007 Lausanne 
瑞士洛桑，国际奥委会 
雅克·罗格主席收 
 
 
尊敬的罗格博士： 
 
我们代表美国笔会──一个致力于在言论自由遭受威胁的任何时候挺身维护的作家组织3300多名会员写信给您，表达我们对以下报道的震惊：中国政府正在奥运会官方新闻中心封锁“敏感”网站，而国际奥委会已默认这样的新闻审查。这些行动无视中国政府和国际奥委会双方以前都做过的保证，即新闻界可以不受干扰限制地自由进行工作。我们谴责这个新闻审查本身，并且对国际奥委会的明显同流合污感到遗憾。我们敦促您立即扭转局面，并要求在全部奥运场所都有未经过滤的充分的互联网接入。

根据已发表的新闻，当外国记者第一次报道大赦国际、英国广播电台、自由亚洲电台和其他人权组织的网站在奥运会主新闻中心被屏蔽的消息时，国际奥委会说要去调查，并指出中国政府已经承诺过在奥运之前、之间和之后完全的媒体自由。然而，今天早些时候，路透社报道了国际奥委会发言人凯文·高斯帕（Kevan Gosper）的说辞： “我……现在的理解是，国际奥委会有官员与中方协商过，某些敏感网站会基于认为无关奥运而被屏蔽”。 
 
毫无疑问，这种审查违背了中国与国际奥委会协议的文字和精神。北京组委会曾明确承诺，提供给记者报道奥运用的互联网设施与该国其它地方不同，将不经过滤。两个星期前，你自己就说过，“这是第一次，外国媒体可以在中国自由地报道和自由地发表他们的作品。互联网上将没有审查。” 中国对其承诺的食言，固然令人深为失望，而国际奥委会毫无抗议地允许它如此做且明显认可，同样令人震惊。 
 
我们或许可以争辩，国际奥委会是否有义务和能力使中国政府履行它为举办奥运而对普遍人权所做的承诺，但毫无疑问，国际奥委会有权威和责任要求这些承诺在奥运场所和设施得以尊重。确确实实，一旦不如此去做，一旦允许中国政府在奥运新闻中心实施它那起于政治、基于内容的新闻审查，国际奥委会自己就有促使奥运政治化的危险。 
 
因此，我们敦促您去扭转局面，并坚持要求中国政府允许记者在奥运新闻设施得到未经过滤不受约束的互联网接入，立即生效且贯穿奥运全过程。 
 
谢谢您关注这个紧急事项。 
 
真诚致意 
 
美国笔会：

会长弗朗辛·普罗斯(Francine Prose)，    
自由写作和国际项目主任拉里·赛姆斯（Larry Siems）

2008年7月30日 
 
 

 

Sample letter to the International Olympic Committee

 

30 July, 2008 

Dr. Jacques Rogge

President

International Olympic Committee

Château de Vidy

1007 Lausanne

Switzerland

Fax : (41.21) 621 62 16 
 

Dear Dr. Rogge: 

We are writing on behalf of the 3,300 members of PEN American Center, an organization of writers dedicated to protecting freedom of expression wherever it is threatened, to express our shock over reports that the Chinese government is blocking “sensitive” web sites at official Olympic press venues and that the IOC has acquiesced to this censorship. These actions fly in the face of previous assurances from both the Chinese government and the IOC that the press would be free to carry out its work without interference or restrictions. We condemn the censorship itself, and we deplore the apparent complicity of the IOC. We urge you to reverse course immediately and demand full and unfiltered internet access at all Olympic facilities.  

According to published news accounts, when foreign journalists first reported that the web sites of Amnesty International, the BBC, Radio Free Asia and other human rights web sites were blocked at the Games’ main press center, the IOC said that it would investigate, noting that the Chinese government had pledged complete media freedom before, during, and after the Games. Earlier today, however, Reuters quoted IOC spokesman Kevan Gosper as saying, “I … now understand that some IOC officials negotiated with the Chinese that some sensitive sites would be blocked on the basis they were not considered Games related. 

There is no question that this censorship violates both the letter and the spirit of the agreement between China and the IOC. The Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG) had explicitly promised that the Internet facilities provided to journalists covering the Games would not be filtered, as they are in the rest of the country. Two weeks ago, you yourself said that For the first time, foreign media will be able to report freely and publish their work freely in China. There will be no censorship on the Internet. While it is deeply disappointing that China would renege on its pledges, it is nothing short of shocking that the IOC would allow it to do so without protest  and evidently with the IOCs consent. 

We may debate whether the IOC has the mandate or the ability to hold the Chinese government to the general human rights pledges it made to secure the Olympic Games. But there can be no doubt that the IOC has the authority and the responsibility to demand that those pledges be honored at Olympics venues and facilities. Indeed, by failing to do so, and by allowing the Chinese government to impose its politically-motivated, content-based censorship in Olympic press centers, the IOC is itself in danger of contributing to the politicization of the Games. It is also seriously undermining the credibility of the IOC and weakening its ability to enter into enforceable agreements with host countries in the future. 

We therefore urge you to reverse course and insist that the Chinese government permit journalists unfiltered and unfettered Internet access at Olympic press facilities, effective immediately and throughout the Games.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,  

                                   

Francine Prose     Larry Siems

President     Director, Freedom to Write and

        International Programs