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Photo: Free Tibet
Three Tibetan rights activists were arrested after entering the official Olympic torch lighting ceremony held in Olympia on October 18 and displaying a banner reading “No Genocide Games”; they shouted protests and waved the Tibetan flag. The activists were calling for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics which will take place in February 2022. Their protest was part of an ongoing campaign by Tibetan, Hong Kong, Uyghur, Taiwenese and Chinese activists who are working together to call on the international community to boycott the games and to put pressure on the International Olympic Committee to remove the games from Beijing, saying that awarding the games to Beijing “confers a badge of global legitimacy” on China’s human rights abuses and genocide. The Olympic Torch is held to “represent peace and hope”, awarding the games to Beijing, they say, “represents global complicity in Chinese repression”.
This protest took place close to the entrance of the stadium where the ceremony was taking place, despite intense security employed to prevent protests. Activists are calling the arrests “outrageous” in a western country and the arrests have hit the international press.
Photo: Free Tibet
Activists Chemi Lhamo, Jason Leith of London-based Free Tibet, and Fern MacDougal carried out their protest before being arrested by the police. They are still in custody and will face a second court hearing, but the nature of the charges has not been released. At their initial hearing the prosecutor reacted angrily to the activists but there was support from local people, including a group of local olive farmers and lawyers who provided food for the protesters to have in their cells. However, neither they nor their lawyers have been able to establish what is their charge.
Free Tibet Chief Executive, Sam Walton after visiting the three detained activists said “They’re all in great spirits and glad to hear that their brave action is shining a light on the International Olympic Committee’s hypocrisy. The IOC cannot with one breath say that the Olympics is all about solidarity, and with the next ignore the plight of millions of people who are being oppressed by the Chinese regime.” Free Tibet, a non government organisation advocating freedom in Tibet, is part of No Beijing 2022, a group calling for a global boycott of Beijing 2022.
Photo: Free Tibet
Other activists in the area have reported repeated harassment by local police including four Students for a Free Tibet activists who were detained for several hours yesterday without ever being accused of a crime, and others whose car was searched after they held a press conference about the No Beijing 2022 campaign.
Two other activists who were detained in Athens were held overnight and then released the following day after a court hearing. They will face charges at a court hearing in January. There is no clear information about what the charges will be and there is concern that Beijing will interfere in, and influence, the judicial process.
Photo: Free Tibet
International human rights groups have been calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics citing China’s human rights abuses in Tibet, Hong Kong, East Turkestan [Ch: Xinjian] and China. The International Olympic Committee has remained silent on the issue and went ahead with torch lighting ceremony.
Phayul reports that over 200 rights groups around the world have urged 26 Olympic broadcasters, including the United States based NBC, to drop coverage of the Beijing Olympics on humanitarian grounds.
Tibetan and Uyghur activists have issued press statements saying, that China is “carrying out an unprecedented campaign of repression in Tibet, southern Mongolia, bullying Taiwan, destroying Hong Kong democracy, and committing genocide against the Uyghurs”. They suggested that competitors should consider their involvement with the games, saying that any medals won will be tainted with the “blood of millions of people who are suffering” under China’s régime. They also pointed out that the award of the 2008 Olympic Games to Beijing has given legitimacy to China’s human rights abuses, effectively sending them a message of support instead of putting on pressure to change. They report increased surveillance and repression since this message of legitimacy and say they IOC is “aiding and abetting the Beijing régime”.
Message from Jason, in detention in Greece:
I am writing this email from Greece, home of the Olympic Games. After spending last night in a police cell, I remain in detention along with two other activists as we await our trial.
Yesterday we were arrested after we gate-crashed the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic flame. Our action has been reported by major newspapers around the world and seen by millions on social media.
Many of you have sent your support to us while we sat in detention, while locals have been incredibly generous with their support, not least the local farmers who brought us food. This coverage and support has kept us in good spirits and made it clear that our campaign has real momentum.
My fellow activists and I hope we can safely travel home soon, something that over 1,000 political prisoners across Tibet cannot look forward to. But this campaign is only going to continue growing. Please join us in saying “No Beijing 2022!”
* Update from Free Tibet October 20
The three activists have been released, they are charged with “destruction of a monument” despite no damage being caused by them during their protest. The hearing has been postponed and will be heard on February 3, 2022 – one day before the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics are due to open.
Their release marks the last of the activists in Greece, associated with the No Beijing 2022 campaign, to be freed. Over the last three days, nine Tibet protesters have been detained or arrested by Greek police for peacefully protesting or representing the campaign; On October 18, Students for a Free Tibet and Tibetan Youth Association Europe activists were detained for several hours without ever being accused of a crime. On the 19th, after holding a press conference in Athens, two of those same activists were detained after being pulled over by Greek police while taking a taxi back to their hotel.
Left – Right Jason, Chemi, Fern
Photo: Free Tibet
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