Olympics activist charged with subversion

Activist Yang Chunlin was charged Monday with subverting state power after gathering 10,000 signatures for a petition demanding human rights and protesting the 2008 Beijing Olympics, AFP reported. Yang was arrested in early July after collecting signatures from Heilongjiang farmers, most of whom were seeking compensation for lost land due to Olympics-related construction in recent years. His arrest and subsequent charge are part of a wider government crackdown to clear politically sensitive cases ahead of next year's games, said dissident Hu Jia. The subversion charge and the direct involvement of the Ministry of Public Safety highlight the "nervousness and political sensitivity" the government feels about efforts to link human rights with the Olympics, according to a statement by the group China Human Rights Defenders.