China

Chinese police sentenced two elderly women to a year of "re-education through labor" because they requested permission to protest during the Olympics in Beijing. "The two women, both in their late 70s, have never spoken out against China’s authoritarian government. Both walk with the help of a cane, and [one] is blind in one eye," The New York Times reports. "Their grievance, receiving insufficient compensation when their homes were seized for redevelopment, is perhaps the most common complaint among Chinese displaced during the country’s long streak of fast economic growth." China had promised to allow protests in designated areas during the international sporting events. "But with four days left before the closing ceremony, the authorities acknowledge that they have yet to allow a single protest," the Times says. "They claim that most of the people who filed applications had their grievances addressed, obviating the need for a public expression of discontent."