In preparation for the Olympic Games last year, an order went out from Beijing to local governments to stop petitioners from coming to the capital, in order to “create a healthy social environment for the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics”. Although the order from the Ministry of Public Security did say the system should be more responsive to people's needs and officials must act in a “civilised” way, the emphasis was on stopping petitioners from ruining the show. This put pressure on local officials to step up their interception efforts. According to human rights groups, repression and illegal detentions increased during the Olympic period.
去年在奥运会筹备期间，北京向地方政府下达了命令，要求阻止上访者进京，“为北京奥运会成功举办创造良好和谐的社会环境”。尽管这条下达自公安部的命令的确提到，信访制度应更好地回应人民群众的需求，官员们必须“文明”行事，但其重点却是阻止上访者扰乱奥运盛会。这为地方官员带来了加大拦截力度的压力。人权组织称，奥运期间的压制活动和非法拘留均有所上升。