CHINA'S WORLD CUP FIXTURE COINCIDES WITH TIANANMEN SQUARE CALL

Amnesty International, which has documented the cases of 195 people still imprisoned after unfair trials, is calling for the Chinese authorities to release all prisoners - including, since June 1989, those held for calling for a review of the official 'verdict' on the protests - to account for those killed and injured, and to offer compensation to the families.

Amnesty International said:

'The circle of victims continues to increase each year. Those seeking to commemorate the anniversary of the 1989 crackdown continue to be arrested and held in labour camps.

'Those who lost their lives or who were imprisoned in 1989 were calling for political reform, a transparent and accountable government and an end to corruption. The majority did this peacefully.'

The cases known to Amnesty International include:

· Wang Jinbo: a member of the China Democracy Party from Shandong Province, convicted of subversion and sentenced to four years' imprisonment in December 2001; charged with several offences including a message he placed on the internet urging the Chinese authorities to overturn the official verdict on the 1989 pro-democracy protests.

· Huang Qi: from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, arrested on 3 June 2000, the eve of the eleventh Tiananmen anniversary; charged with subversion, with his trial postponed several times; tried in secret (with no family members allowed to attend) on 14 August 2001; no verdict yet announced.

Amnesty International notes that both these arrests follow a series of detentions and trials that reflect the government's apparent on-going determination to prevent any review or discussion of the 1989 killings.