China Frees 8 American Protesters After Diplomatic Pressure

Top diplomats at the U.S. and British embassies earlier in the day had pressed for the immediate release of 10 foreigners — the eight Americans, a Briton and a German citizen of Tibetan origin. All had been sentenced to 10 days of detention after police swarmed their unauthorized pro-Tibet demonstrations last week. Forty-eight other foreign protesters detained by Chinese authorities during the Games were immediately deported.

The Briton was still being held but was expected to be deported Monday morning, a source said. The fate of the German was unclear, but he was also expected to be released.

Before Sunday, the United States had made few public statements while China rounded up and deported foreigners who participated in unauthorized demonstrations. But a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy on Sunday morning called for the early release of the Americans, saying that “we are disappointed that China has not used the occasion of the Olympics to demonstrate greater tolerance and openness.” U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt Jr. met with the Americans on Friday and none complained of maltreatment, the statement said.

Britain’s Foreign Office also issued a statement, calling on China to release the protesters and “respect its commitment to freedom of expression.”

All of those detained had staged protests on behalf of Students for a Free Tibet.

The group’s executive director, Lhadon Tethong, said: “After two days of negative publicity over its extrajudicial detention of 10 Tibet supporters, the Chinese government is seeking to suppress a story that would have cast a shadow over the closing ceremony of these Olympic Games, which includes a final propaganda push to legitimize China’s rule in Tibet, with Tibetans singing and dancing along with other so-called ‘ethnic minorities.’ ”

The Beijing Public Security Bureau had no immediate comment on the diplomats’ demands or on the release of the detainees.

Meanwhile, for Chinese citizens who pushed for permission to protest during the Games, the future is uncertain.

Two elderly Chinese women who were facing one year at a reeducation labor camp for seeking applications to demonstrate said no authorities had bothered them in the past few days. “Nowadays, the fire is still burning hot. They don’t dare do anything. But we don’t know what will happen” after the Olympics, said Li Xuehui, son of Wu Dianyuan, 79.

A group of would-be protesters from Hong Kong, including a 14-year-old girl, was escorted by police to a plane back to Hong Kong on Saturday, after being detained for two days at an empty hotel near the airport. The group consisted of investors wanting to demonstrate against local officials who had allegedly swindled them out of just compensation for their investments.

“My daughter is confused. From this trip she felt that what she has learned from books is too different from reality,” said Lu Weiping, the mother of the 14-year-old. “Right now, everyone is very tired in the heart.”

Police told members of the group they were being sent home, rather than jailed, because they are citizens of Hong Kong, not mainland China, and because they had elderly people and a child in their group, Lu said.

The fate of Ji Sizun, a legal advocate from Fujian province who was detained Aug. 11 after trying three times to apply for a protest permit, is unknown. His cellphone has apparently been disconnected.

Hua Huiqi, a Christian advocate for “underground,” or unauthorized, churches, also remains missing, said his brother, Hua Huiling. The two were stopped by Chinese security officials Aug. 10 while on the way to an authorized church service attended by President Bush. Hua Huiling was quickly released; his brother was held, but escaped while his captors slept. “I’ve asked many people, and I guess he’s still in hiding,” Hua Huiling said. “If he had been arrested, the police would send us a note.”

Researchers Crissie Ding, Zhang Jie and Liu Songjie contributed to this report.