[Epoch Times November 24, 2021](The Epoch Times reporter Liang Yao interviewed and reported) The Beijing Winter Olympics, which will be held in February next year, have been repeatedly boycotted due to human rights issues. Recently, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai reported missing after being sexually assaulted by Zhang Gaoli, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. In view of international condemnation, the Chinese Communist Party media kept posting photos of Peng Shuai, saying “Peng Shuai is very good.” But the authenticity of the photos has been questioned.
“High-level athletes are not immune from human rights harm in China.”
Peng Shuai’s whereabouts have been unknown since he reported on November 2 that he was sexually assaulted by Zhang Gaoli, a former member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. On Saturday night, Beijing time (November 20), Hu Xijin, the editor-in-chief of the Chinese Communist Party media “Global Times”, tweeted that two videos he obtained showed that Peng Shuai had dinner with his coach and friends in a restaurant on Saturday. On November 19th, Shen Shiwei, a reporter from the Global Television Network of the Communist Party of China (CGTN), posted 3 photos on Twitter, showing smiling Peng Shuai with Kung Fu Panda and Pooh Bear. The tweet said that she also said “a happy weekend.”
On November 23, Canadian Congressman Garnett Genuis expressed deep concern about Peng Shuai’s safety in an interview with The Epoch Times. He said: “The state has censored allegations of sexual assault, and it is unthinkable that people who dared to speak up have been kidnapped. Although the Chinese state media have released photos and videos of Peng Shuai, their authenticity cannot be confirmed.”
He appealed: “The Chinese government (CCP) immediately release Peng Shuai and provide verifiable evidence of her whereabouts and safety. This incident highlights the fact that high-level athletes are not immune to human rights harm in China.”
On November 18th, in the “Transnational Parliamentary Alliance for China Policy” (IPAC), more than 30 legislators (members) from North America, the European Union, Australia and other countries issued a joint statement expressing their deep concern about Peng Shuai’s safety and well-being. .
The statement said that since Peng posted on social media alleging that Zhang Gaoli, the former deputy prime minister of China (the Chinese Communist Party) had sexually assaulted her, she has never appeared in public or made a free voice. Peng Shuai’s blog post was published on November 2 and was quickly censored by the Chinese authorities. The official Chinese media published a letter purportedly written by Peng denying these allegations, further exacerbating global concerns about her personal safety.
The statement said: “As we all know, the Chinese government (the CCP) implements enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention of people who dare to oppose its authoritarian rule, and uses torture, solitary confinement, and other known methods of abuse that abuse victims of political persecution. Human Rights NGOs A report by Safeguard Defenders estimated that in recent years, up to 55,000 people have been held in solitary confinement through the Residential Surveillance (RSDL) system of designated locations by the Chinese government (CCP).”
The lawmakers demanded that the CCP should immediately provide verifiable guarantees for Peng Shuai’s whereabouts, safety, and freedom, and ensure that her allegations can be heard fairly and appropriately without fear of retaliation.
Call on global politicians to “diplomatically boycott” the Beijing Winter Olympics
The statement stated that as Beijing prepares to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, the disappearance of an international athlete has raised serious concerns about the safety and freedom of athletes participating in the Olympics, and also severely reminded Chinese citizens of the oppression that Chinese citizens face every day.
“In view of this, we once again call on governments to declare a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Any government official participating in the Olympics may attribute the legitimacy to the Chinese government’s severe persecution of critics at home and abroad.”
As a member of IPAC, the Guinness Councilor told The Epoch Times, “I fully support the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. We must stand with the Chinese people who seek to protect basic human rights, including the people of East Turkistan, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, and Hong Kong. The Olympic Games should not be held in a country where terrible violations of human rights occur every day, and even human rights violations may occur during the Olympics.”
Guinness specifically suggested to the Canadian government, “Together with our allies to conduct a full diplomatic boycott of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. We should not send diplomats, ministers or government officials in any capacity (to the Beijing Winter Olympics).”
Editor in charge: Yan Yongming#
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