China must not censor American athletes who condemn the communist regime’s “ongoing genocide” against Uyghur Muslims during the Winter Olympics in Beijing, according to a prominent U.S. official.
“U.S. athletes are entitled to express themselves freely in line with the spirit and charter of the Olympics, which includes advancing human rights,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Wednesday. “We call on the PRC to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including that very freedom of expression.”
China’s repression of the Uyghurs has haunted the impending Olympics and prompted President Joe Biden to decide not to send any U.S. government delegation to the games. Chinese officials, who justify their policies in Xinjiang as a counterterrorism initiative, have accused foreign critics of advocating for “the politicization of sports,” and even threatened the incoming competitors.
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“Any behavior or speeches that are against the Olympic spirit, and especially against Chinese laws and regulations are also subjected to certain punishment,” China’s Yang Shu, an official with Beijing’s organizing committee, said last month during a briefing hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Washington.
Chinese officials also reportedly have been working to stymie the release of a United Nations Human Rights Council investigation.
“I am afraid we don’t have an updated timeline yet for the publication of the report,” Human Rights Office spokeswoman Liz Throssell told the South China Morning Post. “However, I understand that it will not be ready for publication before the start of the Winter Olympics this Friday.”
A pair of key Democratic lawmakers took Yang Shu’s statement as a sign that Chinese officials might arrest American athletes who express support or refuse to let them leave the country.
“We believe this threat should be taken seriously,” Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and Massachusetts Rep. James McGovern wrote Monday to United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland. “We ask the USOPC to redouble efforts to engage with the IOC, fellow national Olympic committees and the U.S. State Department to ensure that plans and procedures are in place to protect athletes should they experience punishment in response to their exercise of free expression.”
Some athletes intend to register their opposition to the genocide by skipping the opening ceremonies this week, under the encouragement of human rights activists.
“The simple gesture of skipping out on the Opening Ceremonies can be a tremendous opportunity for athletes to show solidarity and compassion towards the Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Konger and Mongolian communities that have suffered unimaginable human rights violations by the hands of China’s Communist Party,” Dorjee Tseten, executive director of Students for a Free Tibet, told the Washington Post’s Josh Rogin, who reported the initiative. “Athletes, you have a voice, your gesture of solidarity can make a difference.”
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Price, who emphasized that the U.S. is “not coordinating a global campaign regarding participation in the Olympics,” demurred when asked about U.S. government guidance for athletes.
“We know that the PRC uses disinformation to veil [the] ongoing genocide in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses,” he said. “We know that the PRC has made various accusations, including against U.S. athletes. And we know that’s what’s going on here.”
