Failing on Human Rights: China Watcher Sophie Richardson

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CHINA'S CRACKDOWN on protesters in Tibet has brought attention to China's record on human rights--unwelcome attention for the country that hopes this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing will bolster its image in the world. Protests have accompanied the travels of the Olympic torch as it makes its way to Beijing. Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch, has worked on issues of human rights in China for years. Her book on China's foreign policy will be published by Columbia University Press.

What effect have the protests associated with the Olympic torch had on efforts to highlight human rights abuses in China?

Within the space of three weeks we went from not being able to pay people to write stories about China's human rights record to not being able to handle the flood of requests for information. The protests take place where they do because they …