Human rights groups say that the International Olympic Committee is ignoring their concerns over China’s treatment of the Uighur ethnic minority group and Beijing’s repressive policy in Hong Kong.
As first reported by the Associated Press, the activists allege that the committee has “turned a blind eye to the widespread and systematic human rights violations being committed by the Chinese authorities.” China promised to allow protests and facilitate discussion on human rights when it first petitioned for these Winter Olympic games back in 2015. But the activists rightly suggest that this pledge doesn’t seem to be worth much anymore.
After all, Xi Jinping’s regime has made clear that its commitment to upholding its pledges isn’t exactly reliable. Consider, for one important example, China’s explicit treaty commitment under the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration. Enshrined in international law, that treaty commits China to facilitating the unique democratic rule of law until at least 2047. With China now throwing Hongkongers in prison simply for offering views with which Beijing disagrees, one might confidently say that China’s word is not worth the paper it is written on.
Then, there’s China’s treatment of the Uighur peoples of its northwestern Xinjiang province.
More than 2 million of these innocents have been chucked into reeducation camps simply because they are Uighur Muslims. Whether through forced sterilization or cotton-picking servitude, Xi has proved that he has about as much regard for Uighur human rights as a nuclear bomb is useful for urban development. The parallels with Nazi Germany here of innocent people being imprisoned simply for their ethnic identity should be noted, even if the Nazis’ murderous intent was far more significant. Also, it’s worth remembering how much Nazi Germany used the 1936 Berlin Olympics to advance its propaganda interests.
There are lessons here — especially for those who believe that human rights matter. But also for those who demand that we balance these concerns with the pursuit of new carbon emissions agreements. Put simply, only an idiot or Xi could honestly claim that China’s word can be trusted. The AP notes that from the 2024 Olympics onward, nations will have to accept specific human rights and business standards as a prerequisite for their hosting eligibility. Fortunately for China, the Olympic Committee isn’t willing to bring that timeline forward.
There’s nothing terribly surprising about this pathetic situation.
Just as the International Criminal Court chooses willful blindness to the Uighur ethnocide, the Olympic Committee would prefer to keep China happy than hold Beijing accountable. This sorry saga leaves any government which actually cares about human rights with one remaining option.
The international community should boycott these Olympics.
