China urged to free Americans held for Tibet protests

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States has pressed for the immediate release of eight Americans detained in Beijing for staging pro-free Tibet protests during the Beijing Olympics.

Two were detained on Thursday after hanging a "Free Tibet" banner near an Olympic venue and, according to Chinese authorities, will be released next Sunday, the U.S. Embassy said in an e-mail received on Sunday.

Six members of the group Free Tibet Reporters were detained in the early hours of August 20 and will be freed on August 30.

"We are disappointed that China has not used the occasion of the Olympics to demonstrate greater tolerance and openness," the Embassy statement said.

"We encourage the government of China to demonstrate respect for human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of religion, of all people during the Olympic Games and beyond."

The statement said this was the first time during the period of the Olympic Games that a detention lasted beyond one day.

"We are continuing to raise our concerns at senior levels of the Chinese government and to follow their cases closely," the statement said.

Calls for Tibetan independence from China were at the heart of demonstrations around the world during the Beijing Games international torch relay and several small protests were held in Beijing prior to and during the Games.

The protests were triggered by China's crackdown on rioting in and around the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, in the spring.

(Reporting by Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Nick Macfie)