( dpa ) - Hundreds of Taiwanese, Tibetans and Chinese dissidents will hold a rally on the eve of Beijing Olympics' opening to demand China hold a "human rights Olympics," the organizer said Thursday.
The rally, to be held Thursday evening at Taipei's Liberty Square, is being organized by 30 groups, including human rights groups, labour groups, an anti-death penalty group, Friends of Tibet, and Taiwan Free Burma Network.
Some Tibetans and exiled Chinese dissidents will take part in the rally, the organizer said in a news release.
Representatives from various groups will make speeches to demand China respect human rights during the August 8-24 Beijing Olympics, light candles for Tibetans, and end the rally by collecting signatures for a petition demanding China hold a "human rights Olympics" instead of a "bloody Olympics."
When Beijing applied to host the 2008 Beijing Olympics, China promised to improve its human rights record. But human rights groups accuse China of breaking its promise by cracking down on protests in Tibet in March and continuing to jail dissidents.
The rally on Thursday evening will be held simultaneously as Tibetan exiles and supporters are to hold the Candle for Tibet vigil in many cities around the world to demand human rights for Tibetans.