On 30 April 2008 the Beijing Olympic Games are 100 days away, and Amnesty International is marking the date with the launch of national action aimed at dismantling China’s 'Great Firewall'.

China's Great Firewall, also known as the Golden Firewall, is monitored by between 30,000 and 50,000 'cyber police'. It is enabled by companies such as Yahoo!, Microsoft, Google, Sohu and Baidu.

"The internet is the new frontier in human rights," says China Campaign Coordinator Sophie Peer.

In its bid for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, China promised there would be 'free and unrestricted media access', but bloggers continue to be jailed, websites shut down and certain webpages remain censored.

On Wednesday 30 April, Amnesty International created a giant wall in Melbourne’s Federation Square. The wall will go on to tour around Australia for the next 90 days, visiting every capital city and many regional centres.

People can tear down and sign one of the 25,000 action cards, representing opposition to internet censorship and support for freedom of expression. These will then be directed to one of five technology companies.

"We are deeply concerned about the involvement of state run and global internet companies in government censorship in China. They should disclose the policies, laws and online practices which may result in user’s details being provided to authorities."

"We are calling on all internet service providers operating in China to publicly support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the right to freedom of expression and the right to privacy."

Wednesday's action is part of a global week of action by Amnesty International, to raise awareness about human rights violations in China.

National Tour Dates

Wednesday 30 April: Federation Square, Melbourne

Saturday 3 May: Salamanca Square, Hobart

Tuesday 6 May: Rundle Mall, Adelaide

Tuesday 13 May: Brisbane Square, Brisbane

Tuesday tbc June: Freemantle Markets, Perth

Wednesday 27 June: City Walk, Canberra

Thursday 30 July: Martin Place, Sydney

For more information about human rights visit www.uncensor.com.au