Nobel Peace Laureate Wangari Maathai announced today that she would withdraw her participation from the Olympic Torch Relay set for Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Sunday, 13 April 2008. 

Explaining her decision in a statement read in Dar es Salaam, Professor Maathai cited concerns about China's crackdown in Tibet, and its ongoing political, economic and military support for the brutal regimes in Burma and Sudan.  She also acknowledged the important initiatives taken by China to create a "green Olympics".

Letter to President Hu Jintao sent six months before start of Beijing Games; Coincides with Global Day of Action

On February 12, 2008, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Olympic athletes, government leaders, and public advocates around the world sent an open letter to President Hu Jintao of China, asking that the country stop aiding the mass atrocities and ethnic cleansing in Darfur and instead support peace in the region.

To read the full letter to President Hu, click here. 

To view the full list of signatories to the letter, click here. 

The letter, coordinated by the Nobel Women's Initiative, coincides with a series of protests taking place at Chinese embassies and consulates around the world organized by the Globe for Darfur coalition. 

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg made news by announcing he would resign as Artistic Director of the Beijing Olympic Games, citing concerns over China's policy on Darfur.