The U.S. House of Representatives has asked China to free two rights activists jailed for investigating why thousands of children died in collapsing school buildings during the Sichuan earthquake last year.A resolution, which passed Saturday by a 426-to-1 vote, said that China was violating its own constitution and criminal procedures laws by jailing human rights activists Huang Qi and Tan Zuoren. They have been put on trial, but judgments have not been issued and they remain in prison.
The men were detained after they began working to assist the parents of thousands of children killed in school building collapses during the May 12, 2008, earthquake in Sichuan province.
The activists separately investigated allegations that schools collapsed because corrupt officials colluded to build schools cheaply and ignore required maintenance.
The resolution urged Beijing to restore "the rights that all Chinese citizens have" under the constitution and free the activists.
The resolution also asks President Barack Obama to bring up the cases in Beijing during a Nov. 15 visit.
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