(TibetanReview.net, Jul10’21) – The European Parliament has on Jul 8 adopted a resolution, calling on the European Union and its member states to decline invitations to attend the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. They have been urged to reject any invitation unless “the Chinese Government demonstrates a verifiable improvement in the human rights situation in Hong Kong, the Xinjiang Uyghur Region, Tibet, Inner Mongolia and elsewhere in China.”
The resolution also urges the EU to impose “targeted” sanctions on Hong Kong leaders, including Chief Executive Carrie Lam, over the recent closure of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily and the “dismantling of the free society in Hong Kong.”
During the debate on the resolution, members were reported to have recalled the importance of the EU continuing to raise the issue of human rights violations in China, in particular the case of minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet, in every political and human rights dialogue with Chinese authorities and in line with the EU’s commitment to project a strong, clear and unified voice in its approach to China.
Earlier, in Feb 2021, a coalition of more than 180 civil society organizations urged governments to commit to a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Games for 2022.
Also, a number of parliamentarians worldwide, including those of the USA, Germany, the Czech Republic and the UK, called on their governments to decline invitations to the Games.
Besides, several parliaments in Western democracies have passed resolutions, warning of genocide or “serious risk of genocide” against Uyghurs Muslims in Xinjang under Chinese rule. Belgium’s parliament on Jul 8 became the latest to pass such a resolution.
