Open letter to the European Union Leaders: Boycott Beijing 2022
Dear High Representative and European Union Foreign Ministers,
RE: Joint diplomatic boycott action of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics
We are a coalition of over 250 global campaign groups representing Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, Chinese, Southern Mongolians, Taiwanese, and other affected and concerned communities. Ahead of the European Council Summit, we urge EU leaders to take strong multilateral action by committing to a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
On 9 December an independent tribunal found China was carrying out “a deliberate, systematic and concerted policy” to bring about “long-term reduction of Uyghur and other Turkic people “, and such constituted genocide and crimes against humanity under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
For EU leaders or diplomats to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Games in the knowledge that the host state is enacting a genocide would be an act of complicity and an enabling of China’s plan to ‘sport wash’ their human rights abuses.
Further to the active genocide against the Uyghur people, new evidence released this week shows that close to 1-million Tibetan children are being housed by Chinese authorities in colonial boarding schools, cut off from their parents, families, culture, and religion, and faced with intense political indoctrination. In Hong Kong, three more democracy activists have been found ‘guilty’ for taking part in a vigil to mark the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre and have been sentenced to up to 14-months in jail simply for taking part in a peaceful protest.
There is no prospect of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games playing a positive role for human rights or encouraging the Chinese government to halt the above human rights violations. As the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics showed, the Chinese government will instead interpret the lack of action by governments and the presence of leaders and dignitaries at the opening and closing ceremonies as a message that it risks no serious consequences for its actions.
Governments must now prove that there is the political will to stand up against China’s despicable human rights abuses and crimes against humanity. In this last week we have seen the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia all make commitments to boycott Beijing 2022, and it is now time for every government around to stand on the right side of history. The Chinese government is aware that the EU is in a uniquely powerful position due to its ability to act as a bloc to stand for human rights. A joint boycott by EU countries has the potential to be the strongest statement yet by governments who care about defending human rights.
We, therefore, call on EU leaders to urgently commit to a joint multilateral diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022.
Yours sincerely,
Mandie McKeown, International Tibet Network
Dolkun Isa, World Uyghur Congress
Frances Hui, We The Hongkongers
Bhuchung Tsering, International Campaign for Tibet
Teng Biao, China Against the Death Penalty
Dorjee Tseten, Students for a Free Tibet
Rushan Abbas, Campaign for Uyghurs
Jenny Wang, Keep Taiwan Free
Lhadon Tethong, Tibet Action Institute
Tashi Shitsetsang, Tibetan Youth Association Europe
John Jones, Free Tibet
Dr Zoe Bedford, Australia Tibet Council
周锋锁 Zhou Fengsuo, Humanitarian China
Mattias Bjornerstedt, Swedish Tibet Committee
Omer Kanat, Uyghur Human Rights Project
Enghebatu Togochog, Southern Mongolian Human Rights Center
on behalf of the following organisations:
Action Free Hong Kong Montreal Aide aux Refugies Tibetains Alberta Uyghur Association Amigos de Tibet, Colombia Amigos del Tíbet, Chile Amigos del Tíbet, El Salvador Anterrashtriya Bharat – Tibbet Sahyog Samiti AREF International Onlus Asociación Cultural Peruano Tibetana Asociación Cultural Tibetano Costarricense Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina Association Drôme Ardèche-Tibet Associazione Italia-Tibet Association of the New School for Democracy Atlas Movement Australia China Watch Australian East Turkestan Association Australian Uyghur Association Australian Uyghur Tangritagh Women’s Association Austria Uyghur Association Bath District Tibet Support Group Bay Area Friends of Tibet Belgium Uyghur Association Bharrat Tibbat Sahyog Manch, India Birmingham Stands with Hong Kong Boston Tibet Network Boston Uyghur Association Briancon05 Urgence Tibet Bristol Tibet Burst the Bubble UK CADAL Canada Tibet Committee Canadian Coalition Against Communism Captive Nations Coalition Casa del Tibet – Spain Casa Tibet México Centro De Cultura Tibetana, Brazil China Alarm Circle of Friends (Philippines) Citizen Power Initiatives for China Comité de Apoyo al Tibet (CAT) Comité pour la Liberté à Hong-Kong Committee of 100 for Tibet Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India Cornell Society for the Promotion of East Asian Liberty Covenants Watch Czechs Support Tibet DC Chapter of China Democracy Party DC4HK – Washingtonians Supporting Hong Kong Defend Democracy Dream for Children, Japan Dutch Uyghur Human Rights Foundation East Turkistan Association in Finland East Turkistan Association of Canada East Turkistan Education Center in Europe East Turkistan New Generation Movement East Turkistan Nuzugum Culture and Family Organization East Turkistan Press and Media Organization East Turkistan Union in Europe Eastern Turkistan Foundation Eastern Turkistan Uyghur Association in Netherlands EcoTibet Ireland Étudiants Pour Un Tibet Libre Euro-Asia Foundation: Teklimakan Publishing House European Uyghur Institute Federation for a Democratic China Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong Foundation for Universal Responsibility France-Tibet Free Indo-Pacific Alliance Free Tibet Fukuoka FREE TIBET ITALIA Friends of Tibet in Costa Rica Friends of Tibet in Finland Friends of Tibet New Zealand Friends4Tibet Germany Stands with Hong Kong Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities Global Solidarity with Hong Kong – Chicago Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, Portugal Hong Kong Committee in Norway Hong Kong Democracy Council Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley (HKAAB) Hong Kong Forum, Los Angeles Hong Kong Liberty Hongkongers At McGill Hong Kong Outlanders Hong Kong Social Action Movements in Boston Hong Kongers in San Francisco Bay Area Human Rights Solidarity Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan Ilham Tohti Initiative India Tibet Friendship Society International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China Institute for China’s Democratic Transition International Pen Uyghur Center International Society for Human Rights- Sweden International Society of Human Rights, Munich Chapter International Support for Uyghurs International Tibet Independence Movement International Uyghur Human Right and Democracy Foundation Isa Yusup Alptekin Foundation Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People Japan Association of Monks for Tibet (Super Sangha) Japan Uyghur Association Jewish movement for Uyghur freedom Justice 4 Uyghurs Justice For All Canada Kazakhstan National Culture Center Le Club Français, Paraguay Les Amis du Tibet – Belgium Les Amis du Tibet Luxembourg Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine Lions Des Neiges Mont Blanc, France Lungta Association Belgium Maison des Himalayas | Maison du Tibet – Tibet Info Mavi Hilal Humanitarian Organization McGill Hong Kong Public Awareness and Social Service National Campaign for Tibetan Support, India National Democratic Party of Tibet Netherlands for Hong Kong Never Again Right Now Northern California Hong Kong Club Norwegian Uyghur Committee NY4HK Objectif TibetPasseport Tibetain Ontario Hong Kong Youth Action (OHKYA) Perth Anti-CCP Association Phagma Drolma-Arya Tara Power to Hongkongers RangZen:Movimento Tibete Livre, Brazil Regional Tibetan Association of Massachusetts Roof of the World Foundation, Indonesia Sakya Trinley Ling Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet Save the Mongolian Language Save the Persecuted Christians Save Tibet Foundation Save Tibet, Austria Shukr Foundation Sierra Friends of Tibet Society for Threatened Peoples International Society Union of Uyghur National Association STAND Canada Stand With Hong Kong Vienna Stop Uyghur Genocide Canada Students for a Free Tibet – Canada Students for a Free Tibet – UK Students for a Free Tibet – Denmark Students for a Free Tibet – India Students for a Free Tibet – Japan Students for a Free Tibet – Taiwan Students For Hong Kong Sweden Uyghur Education Union Swedish Tibet Committee Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association (GSTF) Switzerland East Turkestan Association 台灣永社 Taiwan Forever Association Taiwan Friends of Tibet Taiwan East Turkistan Association Taiwan New Constitution Foundation Taiwan Association for Human Rights Taiwanese Civil Aid to HKers Taiwan Labour Front Tashi Delek Bordeaux The Norwegian Tibet Committee The Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, Mongolia and Turkestan The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan Tibet Action Group of Western Australia Tibet cesky (Tibet in Czech) Tibet Committee of Fairbanks Tibet Group, Panama Tibet Initiative Deutschland Tibet Justice Center Tibet Lives, India Tibet Mx Tíbet Patria Libre, Uruguay Tibet Rescue Initiative in Africa Tibet Society of South Africa Tibet Support Committee Denmark Tibet Support Group Adelaide Tibet Support Group Kenya= Tibet Support Group Kiku, Japan Tibet Support Group Netherlands Tibet Support Group Slovenia Tibetan Association of Germany Tibetan Association of Ithaca Tibetan Association of Northern California Tibetan Association of Philadelphia Tibetan Community Austria Tibetan Community in Britain Tibetan Community in Denmark Tibetan Community in Ireland Tibetan Community of Italy Tibetan Community of Victoria Tibetan Community Sweden Tibetan Community, Queensland Tibetan Cultural Association – Quebec Tibetan Programme of The Other Space Foundation Tibetan Women’s Association (Central) Tibetans of Mixed Heritage Tibetisches Zentrum Hamburg TIBETmichigan Toronto Association for Democracy in China Torontonian HongKongers Action Group U.S. Tibet Committee Uigur Society of the Kyrgyz Republic Umer Uyghur Trust United Nations for a Free Tibet (UNFFT) US Hongkongers Club Uyghur Academy Uyghur American Association Uyghur Association of Victoria Uyghur Association of France Uyghur Center for Human Rights and Democracy Uyghur Cultural and Education Union in Germany Uyghur Education Union Uyghur Projects Foundation Uyghur Refugee Relief Fund Uyghur Research Institute Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project Uyghur Support Group Netherlands Uyghur Transitional Justice Database Uyghur U.K. Association Uyghur Youth Union in Kazakhstan Uzbekistan Uyghur Culture Center Vancouver Hong Kong Forum Society Vancouver Society in Support of Democratic Movement Viktoria Uyghur Association Voces Tibet World Uyghur Congress Foundation |