Beijing has rounded up dissidents just days before its human rights record is reviewed by a UN panel, AP reported. On Friday, officers stationed outside a government building in the capital detained at least members of a loosely organized group of 30 who had traveled to Beijing seeking redress for a variety of problems related to local corruption. Other dissidents have already been imprisoned on state security charges. Authorities are especially sensitive to dissent this year as it marks the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. The review by the UN Human Rights Council, which begins today, is part of a new process that evaluates member countries in an effort to prompt improvements and address violations. The council, which replaced the UN’s Human Rights Commission, has no enforcement powers.
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