NGOs urges Olympic Chiefs, UN to Act On China Abuses
Hundreds of organisations urged the United Nations to probe rights violations in China on Wednesday as other groups called for Olympic chiefs to strip Beijing of the 2022 winter games.
Two separate coalitions of rights groups issued calls for a clear international response to China’s abuses as concern grows over its clampdown in Hong Kong and mass internment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
More than 160 rights groups warned in a letter dated Tuesday to International Olympic Committee (IOC), President Thomas Bach, that allowing the 2022 Games to go ahead could cause more repression in China.
When asked about the letter, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian dismissed it as an attempt to “politicise sports” that went against the Olympic spirit.
A second open letter to UN leaders signed by 321 civil society groups from more than 60 countries urged them to back an international investigation into abuses by the Chinese government.
Zhao slammed the claims made in that letter as “groundless and not worth refuting”.
China faces increased scrutiny over a security law imposed on Hong Kong in June, which radically increased Beijing’s control over the city and has led to a brutal crackdown on dissent.
