{"id":2217,"date":"2022-01-28T21:40:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T14:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/china-world-must-use-winter-olympics-to-demand-human-rights-improvements\/"},"modified":"2024-11-11T13:45:23","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T06:45:23","slug":"china-world-must-use-winter-olympics-to-demand-human-rights-improvements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/news\/2022\/01\/china-world-must-use-winter-olympics-to-demand-human-rights-improvements\/","title":{"rendered":"China: World must use Winter Olympics to demand human rights improvements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Games take place amid worsening human rights situation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>International community must not be complicit in sportswashing exercise<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>IOC should better protect athletes\u2019 rights following Peng Shuai case<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The world must use the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics as an opportunity to push for human rights improvements in China, Amnesty International said ahead of next month\u2019s Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>China\u2019s capital will welcome athletes, officials and diplomats from around the world for the Games, which begin on 4 February. But the event will take place against a backdrop of myriad ongoing human rights violations in the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote is-lined\"><p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em>\u201cThe Beijing Olympic Games promise to be a memorable sporting spectacle, but the watching world cannot wilfully ignore what is happening elsewhere in China: the lawyers and activists imprisoned for their peaceful work; the sexual assault survivors punished for speaking up; the thousands estimated to be executed each year; the Muslim ethnic groups facing systematic mass internment, torture and persecution,\u201d<\/em><span>&nbsp;<\/span>said Alkan Akad, Amnesty International\u2019s China Researcher.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p><strong>IOC should ensure promises are kept<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Chinese government made a series of assurances related to human rights ahead of hosting the Winter Olympics, including on respecting media freedom, labour rights, \u201cdisplacement\u201d and ensuring genuine opportunities for peaceful demonstrations during the Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amnesty International is calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to fully implement and publicly disclose its human rights due diligence policies and practices in the lead-up to, and during, the Games.<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote is-lined\"><p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em>\u201cThe right to freedom of expression is systematically violated in China. That\u2019s why it\u2019s vital that the IOC and the various National Olympic Committees at the Games adequately respect athletes\u2019 and sports officials\u2019 wishes to speak out about human rights, including on issues deemed \u2018sensitive\u2019 by the authorities,\u201d<\/em><span>&nbsp;<\/span>Alkan Akad said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p>Amnesty International urges government representatives, including those who plan to attend the Olympic Games, to place human rights at the top of the agenda in their discussions with Chinese authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote is-lined\"><p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em>\u201cThe world must heed the lessons of Beijing 2008 Games, when Chinese government promises of human rights improvements never materialized,\u201d<\/em><span>&nbsp;<\/span>Alkan Akad said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><div style=\"position:relative\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"aiic-ignore wp-image-4027\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-1066x600.png 1066w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-734x413.png 734w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-256x144.png 256w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-60x34.png 60w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-120x68.png 120w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-200x113.png 200w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-400x225.png 400w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-260x146.png 260w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-520x293.png 520w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-325x183.png 325w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2-650x366.png 650w, https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/01\/image-2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The peaceful activists detained in China<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ahead of the Games, Amnesty International has launched its \u2018Free the Five\u2019 campaign highlighting the plight of five Chinese activists among the many detained for exercising their rights to freedom of expression. They are: citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, Uyghur professor Ilham Tohti, labour rights activist Li Qiaochu, human rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and Tibetan blogger Rinchen Tsultrim.<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote is-lined\"><p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em>\u201cThe unjust imprisonment of these five peaceful activists is emblematic of the Chinese government\u2019s intolerance of all opposing views, and its eagerness to punish dissent in the harshest possible terms,\u201d<\/em><span>&nbsp;<\/span>Alkan Akad said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p><strong>Athletes must be allowed to speak freely<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The IOC has pledged \u2013 through its Safe Sport initiative \u2013 to support the rights of athletes and protect them from harassment and abuse \u201con and off the field\u201d. However, the strict Covid-19 \u201cbubble\u201d imposed at Beijing 2022 will severely limit athletes\u2019 freedom of movement in a way that could make it even more difficult for them to freely exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Late last year, tennis player and three-time Olympian, Peng Shuai, made sexual assault allegations against a former Chinese Vice Premier in a social media post that was quickly censored in China. When reference to her was scrubbed from the internet and she disappeared from public view, fellow players and the Women\u2019s Tennis Association expressed fears about Peng\u2019s fate. Nearly three weeks after her post was censored, the IOC responded by arranging a video call with Peng in an attempt to ease concerns about her well-being and whereabouts.<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote is-lined\"><p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em>\u201cThe IOC accepted assurances about Peng Shuai\u2019s well-being without corroborating whether she experienced any limitations to her freedom of expression, freedom of movement and right to privacy, therefore running the risk of whitewashing possible violations of Peng Shuai\u2019s human rights,\u201d<\/em><span>&nbsp;<\/span>Alkan Akad said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p>After heavy criticism, in December the IOC acknowledged \u201cwe can\u2019t give assurances and don\u2019t know the full facts\u201d. They insisted that \u201call aspects of the case are being discussed with the Chinese side\u201d and this would continue beyond the Games.<\/p>\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote is-lined\"><p><span style=\"font-size: medium\"><em>\u201cAmid the severe restrictions in place at Beijing 2022, the IOC must do better at keeping its promise to protect athletes\u2019 right to voice their opinions \u2013 and above all to ensure it is not complicit in any violations of athletes\u2019 rights,\u201d<\/em><span>&nbsp;<\/span>Alkan Akad said.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u0e40\u0e23\u0e35\u0e22\u0e19\u0e23\u0e39\u0e49\u0e40\u0e1e\u0e34\u0e48\u0e21\u0e40\u0e15\u0e34\u0e21\u0e40\u0e01\u0e35\u0e48\u0e22\u0e27\u0e01\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e41\u0e2d\u0e21\u0e40\u0e19\u0e2a\u0e15\u0e35\u0e49<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/donate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u0e1a\u0e23\u0e34\u0e08\u0e32\u0e04\u0e2a\u0e19\u0e31\u0e1a\u0e2a\u0e19\u0e38\u0e19\u0e41\u0e2d\u0e21\u0e40\u0e19\u0e2a\u0e15\u0e35\u0e49<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The world must use the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics as an opportunity to push for human rights improvements in China, Amnesty International said ahead of next month\u2019s Games. China\u2019s capital will welcome athletes, officials and diplomats from around the world for the Games, which begin on 4 February. But the event will take place [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":0,"_hero_title":"","_hero_content":"","_hero_cta_text":"","_hero_cta_link":"","_hero_alignment":"","_hero_background":"","_hero_size":"","_hero_show":"","_hero_type":"","_hero_embed":"","_hero_video_id":0,"_hero_hide_image_caption":true,"_hero_hide_image_copyright":false,"_nav_style":"","_disable_share_icons":false,"_disable_sidebar":false,"_display_author_info":false,"_hide_featured_image":false,"_hide_featured_image_caption":true,"_maximize_post_content":false,"_reduce_content_width":false,"_sidebar_id":0,"_stretch_thumbnail":false,"byline_context":"","byline_entity":"","byline_is_author":false,"disable_related_content":false,"download_id":0,"download_text":"","show_published_date":true,"show_updated_date":true,"term_slider":"","amnesty_index_number":"","recipients":"","recipients_refresh":"","recipients_refreshed":"","amnesty_umbraco_data":"","document_ref":"","amnesty_updated":"","footnotes":""},"category":[1585],"location":[1588,1587,1589],"resourceType":[],"topic":[],"class_list":["post-2217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","location-southeast-asia","location-thailand","location-world"],"datePosted":"January 28, 2022","mlpRelationships":{"1":3248,"2":2217},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=2217"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=2217"},{"taxonomy":"resource-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resourceType?post=2217"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amnesty.or.th\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=2217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}