China Jails Elderly Women for Asking to Protest at Olympics

Two elderly women have been given what is described as a sentence of one year of "re-education through labor" after they applied for permits to stage protests at the Olympic Games. The New York Times reports:

Wu Dianyuan, 79, and Wang Xiuying, 77, had made five visits to the police this month in an effort to get permission to protest what they contended was inadequate compensation for the demolition of their homes in Beijing.
During their final visit on Monday, public security officials informed them that they had been given administrative sentences for "disturbing the public order," according to Li Xuehui, Ms. Wu's son.
Mr. Li said his mother and Ms. Wang, who used to be neighbors before their homes were demolished to make way for a redevelopment project, were allowed to return home but were told they could be sent to a detention center at any moment. "Can you imagine two old ladies in their 70s being re-educated through labor?" he asked.

I can't imagine it. The International Olympic Committee promised that the Games would be part of China's reformation. Instead, the Games have led China to tear down people's homes, and to jail those people when they complain about it. What a disgrace.