China's web censors easing off: report

Journalists covering the upcoming Beijing Olympics are finding some websites in some Chinese cities unblocked after complaints this week over internet censorship, the BBC reported Friday.

Reporters were upset earlier this week that they were denied access to sites such  as Amnesty International, which has accused China of failing to live up to its promise to improve human rights.

Other sites dealing with Tibet, Tiananmen Square or the spiritual group Falun Gong were also blocked in the work rooms for journalists covering the Aug. 8-24 Olympics.

China routinely filters internet access for its own citizens, but said during the Olympic bidding process that foreign media would have "complete freedom to report" at the Games.

That promise, though, appeared to have been broken. On Thursday, the head of the International Olympic Committee's press commission suggested that IOC president Jacques Rogge had knowledge of China's plans to censor internet access for foreign journalists during the Olympics.

Chinese President Hu Jintao chimed in on the controversy during a carefully choreographed news conference on Friday, urging journalists to avoid injecting political issues into the Games and to report fairly.

"We hope that foreign reporters while in China will respect our laws and rules, report objectively and help communication and understanding between China and the peoples of the world," Hu said.

The censors appeared to be loosening their grip on Friday, according to the BBC. The British news organization reported that journalists in Beijing could see several websites that were unavailable earlier in the week, including Amnesty International's.

Previously unavailable sites were also visible in Shanghai, Chengdu and Tianjin, the BBC said.

A spokesperson for the IOC told the BBC that the issue was resolved.

"The media are now able to access sites to do their job," the official said.

Restrictions, though, may remain. The website of the Falun Gong, a spiritual movement banned in China, is still blocked, the BBC said.