Amnesty International began its own torch relay through Germany on Saturday to draw attention to what it described as human rights breaches in China, dpa reported.
The run, organized by university students, was set to last several weeks and pass through 25 German cities, starting Saturday in Freiburg im Breisgau in Germany's south-west.
It was modelled on the Olympic relay for this summer's Beijing Olympic Games. Pro-Tibet protests accompanied the official relay.
The human rights group said the flame would reach Berlin on July 13. Germans would be invited to sign a petition to Beijing, asking it to carry through on a promise to improve its human rights at the time the games were awarded to Beijing.