By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 19: Tibetans, Uyghurs, and Hong Kongers on Wednesday urged US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to boycott the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Prominent Tibetan political prisoners Dhondup Wangchen, Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s niece Nyima Lhamo called the Winter Olympics “Genocide Games” at a protest event organized by the Students for a Free Tibet (SFT). US Secretary Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s first face-to-face meeting with their Chinese counterparts will be held on Thursday in Anchorage, Alaska.
Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen who was jailed for his documentary film depicting Tibetan people’s sentiment prior to the Beijing Olympics said, “The sole reason I was imprisoned in 2008 was because of my strong stance against China hosting the Olympics and my documentary filmmaking. Now in 2021, here we are again with China being allowed to host the 2022 Olympics. The situation right now is beyond us Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, and Taiwanese. It’s about human rights, a universal issue. I am urging the Biden administration and Secretary Blinken to take some responsibility and safeguard human rights.”
Pema Doma, Campaigns Director at SFT said, “Secretary Blinken and the Biden administration owe it to the American people to show the CCP what the US stands for. To stand up for freedom and rights and the dignity of all people, and to be the voice that says, genocide will not be tolerated – that genocide is absolutely the red line.” The demonstration was conducted in coordination with international activist groups, We The Hong Kongers and Campaign for Uyghurs.
Activists will also start a petition to call on the Biden administration to support and lead a coordinated global boycott, which is backed by 20 US-based organizations, including the Washington DC College Democrats, Fang Collective, and major Hong Kong, Uyghur, and Tibetan human rights organizations.
The Director at Campaign for Uyghurs, Rushan Abbas asked the “cost” of the boycott at the expense of millions of Uyghur lives and accused the 2022 Olympics to be emblematic of the Berlin 1936 Games hosted by Hitler’s Germany. He further remarked, “The world cannot claim ignorance as many did at that time. Even back then, there was enough for many to know this was an affront to humanity. To repeat the same mistakes is shocking!” Earlier in January, human rights groups worldwide marked the one-year countdown to the winter Olympics, urging IOC and participating nations to boycott the premier sporting event.
