Amnesty slams 'colluder' Google

Amnesty International has hit out at Google over the search giant's agreement to 'collude' with the Chinese government and aid the authorities in censoring the internet.

The charity, currently fighting on behalf of thousands of victims of inhumane treatment in China, accused Google of operating with no respect for human rights and putting "profits before principles".

Kate Allen, UK director of Amnesty International, said: "Google must stop colluding with the Chinese government in restricting people's rights to freedoms of opinion, expression and information."

Allen urged the search giant to rethink its stance and "conduct its business in China in a way that respects human rights".

At the moment Allen said Google's behaviour shows "complicity in human rights violations" and she claimed there are currently 60 'cyber dissidents' serving up to 10 years in prison in China over their use of the internet.

Amnesty has also renewed calls for the release of Chinese journalist Shi Tao who was imprisoned for 10 years after Yahoo! handed over email records to the authorities including a forwarded government press release about dissidents returning to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre.

Allen urged all internet companies to "resist the Chinese government's censorship pressure, which is a violation of internationally recognised rights of free expression".

She added: "Companies that do business in China should be taking action individually and on an industry-wide basis to open up the space for Chinese citizens to express themselves freely."