UHRP Hails Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Olympics

December 6, 2021, 2:56 p.m. EST
For Immediate Release
Contact: Omer Kanat +1 (202) 790-1795, Peter Irwin +1 (646) 906-7722

The Uyghur Human Rights Project hails the U.S. diplomatic boycott as a strong message that genocide will not be accepted by the international community. UHRP welcomes the White House statement that official participation would treat these games as “business as usual” in the face of atrocity crimes.

All governments should decline to participate in the spectacle of 21st century “genocide games.” 

“The Chinese government is using the 2022 Winter Games as a showcase for its world leadership. A diplomatic boycott sends a strong signal: governments refuse to give a green light to the Uyghur genocide,” said Omer Kanat, Executive Director of the Uyghur Human Rights Project. 

“Corporate sponsors like Coca-Cola and Airbnb need to consider: do they want their logos displayed at an Olympic Games in the shadow of concentration camps?” Kanat continued. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has signaled its intention to ignore ongoing atrocities, has an immediate obligation to respond to these abuses. Continued silence by the IOC amounts to complicity in these atrocities.

UHRP thanks President Biden for his leadership, and welcomes Speaker Pelosi’s strong statement of support today.

Read more:

Joint Statement: Activists Turn Sights To Olympic Broadcasters In Protest Over Plan To Air Beijing 2022 Olympics, China’s ‘Genocide Games,’ September 8, 2021

UHRP Commentary: In a year, China will host the first genocide Olympics, February 6, 2021

UHRP Statement: The International Olympic Committee needs to tell Beijing: concentration camps disqualify you from hosting the 2022 Games, November 27, 2019

UHRP Briefing: The 2022 Winter Olympics and Beijing’s Uyghur Policy: Sports in the Shadows of Concentration Camps, October 21, 2019