On Thursday, February 3, ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics slated to begin the following day on February 4, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation gathered at the U.S. Capitol to denounce the atrocities and grave human rights abuses being committed by the Chinese government — with human rights allies, Members of Congress, representatives of international governments, and athletes who have supported the diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Uyghur, Hong Kong, and Tibetan activists and representatives of other ethnic and religious groups in China shared personal stories about the brutal oppression they have witnessed and experienced.
Human rights allies called out the International Olympic Committee for awarding the 2022 Winter Games to Beijing despite evidence of China’s ongoing human rights abuses, for failing to fulfill its human rights obligations, and for refusing to engage substantively with human rights organizations regarding forced labour in the Uyghur Region. The top corporate sponsors of the Games – Airbnb, Alibaba, Allianz, Atos, Bridgestone, Coca-Cola, Intel, Omega, Panasonic, P&G, Samsung, Toyota, and Visa – were also called out for failing to fulfill their human rights due diligence responsibilities and urged to immediately disclose their human rights due diligence strategies or explain their failure to carry out such assessments. Both the IOC and the corporate sponsors were challenged to protect athletes from the “certain punishment” that the Beijing Organizing Committee has threatened against those who may make statements protesting the Chinese government’s abuse of human rights.
Featured Art Exhibit
The rally featured the art collection — Beijing 2022 — by Badiucao, Chinese-Australian political cartoonist, artist, and rights activist. The original collection was initially released at the 2021 Oslo Freedom Forum in Miami, held on October 4-5, 2021, which included five pieces of art that highlight the Chinese government’s repression of the Tibetan people, the Uyghur genocide, the regime’s censorship and lack of transparency surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, the dismantling of freedoms in Hong Kong, and the CCP’s omnipresent surveillance systems. Badiucao has created three additional never-before-seen pieces to be displayed alongside the original five at the #NoBeijing2022 Rally.
Speakers
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Babur Ilchi, Program Director, Campaign for Uyghurs
Logan Carmichael, ChinaAid
Bennett Freeman, Cotton Campaign
Wang Dan, Founder, Dialogue China
Brian Leung, Hong Kong Democracy Council
Joey Siu, Hong Kong Watch
Jenny Wang, Human Rights Foundation
Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch
Bhuchung Tsering, International Campaign for Tibet
Elfidar Iltebir, Uyghur American Association
Omer Kanat, Uyghur Human Rights Project
Amb. Andrew Bremberg, President and CEO, Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
Ilshat Hassan, World Uyghur Congress
Co-Hosts
Campaign for Uyghurs
ChinaAid
Dialogue China
Hong Kong Democracy Council
Hong Kong Watch
Human Rights Foundation
International Campaign for Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet
Uyghur American Association
Uyghur Human Rights Project
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation
World Uyghur Congress
