Home » 243 Group Calls on Countries: Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics | Human Rights Watch | Epoch Times

243 Group Calls on Countries: Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics | Human Rights Watch | Epoch Times

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[Epoch Times, January 28, 2022](Epoch Times reporter Xu Jian comprehensive report) Before the Beijing Winter Olympics is about to be held, 243 NGOs around the world issued a joint statement urging governments of all countries to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics diplomatically and Athletes and sponsors from all countries are urged not to “legitimize” the CCP’s persecution of human rights.

On Thursday (January 27), the New York-based human rights group Human Rights Watch issued a joint statement condemning the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of human rights and calling for a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics.

Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said: “The host country is committing serious crimes against international law, and the Winter Olympics are unlikely to be the ‘force for good’ that the IOC claims.”

The statement said the CCP has been carrying out massive abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans, ethnic minorities and religious followers of all independent faith groups. They stifled independent “civil society” by persecuting human rights activists, feminists, lawyers, journalists and more.

In addition, the CCP continues to threaten diasporas, public figures, and companies outside of China through a sophisticated transnational crackdown.

Winter Olympics may rationalize CCP’s “persecution”

“The Winter Olympics in Beijing sent a signal to the world that Xi Jinping’s government is normal (regime),” said Renee Xia, executive director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, an NGO. , “When the world justifies this kind of abuse, it’s harder for victims to come forward and protest injustice.”

According to the press release, since China won the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, NGOs and media outlets have documented several serious human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party. These include:

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Arbitrary detention, torture, and forced labor of millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic ethnic groups in Xinjiang (Uyghur region); undermining Hong Kong’s independent media, democracy, and rule of law; using high-tech surveillance systems to track dissidents, unjustly prosecute, The persecution of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan and others, the arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearance of human rights defenders such as Gao Zhisheng and Guo Feixiong.

“The glory of the Olympics cannot hide the genocide,” said Omer Kanat, executive director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. “It’s hard to understand why some people feel that international friendship and ‘Olympic values’ can be celebrated in Beijing.”

And Bhuchung Tsering, vice-president of the International Campaign for Tibet, said, “The International Olympic Committee says sports and politics cannot be confused, but the Chinese regime used the 2008 Beijing Olympics for its politics. benefit service.”

Olympic sponsors blamed

The statement also accused Olympic global partner sponsors such as Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atos, Coca-Cola, Intel, Omega, Procter & Gamble, Samsung and others for failing to perform their human rights due diligence responsibilities.

Several governments, including Australia, Canada, Japan, Lithuania, the United Kingdom and the United States, have announced diplomatic boycotts of the Olympics.

Sharon Hom, executive director of Human Rights in China in New York, said, “We urge governments to support human rights defenders in prison or in custody who are pushing for reform and defending the rights of others. Or just paying a huge price for discussing how to strengthen Chinese civil society.”

Fu Xiqiu, president of ChinaAid, said, “Athletes who uphold the Olympic ideals should not participate in the Winter Olympics under pervasive surveillance, suppression of freedom of speech and belief, and an unsafe human rights environment.”

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Responsible editor: Li Huanyu#

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