Chinese Earthquake Activists Detained

AftermathAs you more than likely will recall, China's Sichuan province was home to a devastating earthquake last year with an 8.0 magnitude and a death toll of 69,227 confirmed deaths with 17,923 people still unaccounted for. Of the confirmed deaths, 5,335 were school children, many of whom died while trapped underneath the rubble.

As related by Amnesty International, one father of a 15-year-old earthquake victim said, "Except the school building, other buildings in Beichuan county did not collapse during the earthquake. What kind of earthquake was this?" As reported by the media, a majority of the buildings that collapsed in and after the earthquake were school buildings, while a majority of government  buildings were still left standing.

Many Chinese parents have started to question their governments about the problem, which they believe was due to poor construction as a result of governmental corruption in awarding construction contracts. Worse than this, hundreds of parents and concerned citizens have been detained for making inquiries of their government or for calling for tribunals.

Amnesty International is calling for Chinese authorities to not only listen to their citizens, but to stop detaining them for exercising their "rights" to question the government.

What can you do to help? Join Amnesty International in their fight  to defend the rights of concerned parents and community activists. Please visit here  for specific information on how you can make a difference in this matter.