WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Jim Bunning (R-KY) today introduced a resolution calling on the Chinese government to suspend its plans to spy on and censor visitors and journalists who will be in China for the Olympic Games.

"It is counter to the spirit of the Olympic Games for the Chinese government to spy on journalists and hotel guests," said Brownback. "The global community should be outraged that journalists, human rights activists and visitors will be subjected to invasive intelligence gathering by the Chinese Public Security Bureau. This is just one more way that the Chinese government systematically violates even the most basic human rights and freedoms. The Chinese government consistently suppresses its own citizens' rights and, from North Korea to Darfur, has enabled brutal, oppressive regimes."

Prior to being chosen to host the Olympic Games, China pledged to provide open access to information, and to allow journalists to write freely, for at least the duration of the Games. Today, however, the Chinese government admitted that journalists' Internet activities are also to be monitored and restricted. The web pages of certain human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, are to be off limits to people using the Internet in China. Furthermore, in advance of the Olympics, foreign-owned hotels in China were ordered to install monitoring equipment on their network which will allow the Chinese Public Security Bureau to monitor the electronic information processed by thousands of international visitors staying in these hotels.

Bunning said, "Just as China manipulates their currency, now they are going to try to manipulate the media coverage of the Olympic Games. I am very disappointed - yet not surprised - that they have gone back on their promise. This is just one more example how this repressive regime continues to repress basic human rights and freedoms. I am proud to join Senator Brownback in introducing this resolution today and hope that we can put an end to this unjust practice."