Finally, a real initiative that might actually work!
Currently, China is being pressured globally, especially by Uyghur human rights activists, to shut down all the concentration camps that they have built or face the possibility of Olympics 2022 in Beijing being cancelled.
Thanks to the internet, the issue has spread like wildfire throughout the whole world when the international media rapidly exposed leaked information about China’s practices. The revelations about the hardships faced by the Uyghurs gained the attention of footballer Mesut Ozil and even singer Maher Zain.
Shout out to @MesutOzil1088 for having the courage to take a principled stand & speak out on the massive human rights abuses being committed by China against Muslims in #EastTurkestan ✊?✊?✊? #UyghurGenocide #Uighur | via @IlmFeed pic.twitter.com/v9H0wVXGGg
— MPACUK (@MPACUK) December 14, 2019
It takes a lot of courage for a celebrity to speak up about the atrocities that our #Uyghur brothers and sisters face in China, the way @MesutOzil1088 did. Thank you brother for standing up to injustice!
#IStandWithOzil #IStandWithUyghur pic.twitter.com/aM4J0mKEOD— Maher Zain (@MaherZain) December 17, 2019
Among the activists is Irade Kashgary, a woman of Uyghur origin, who sent letters to the UN ahead of the Olympic Games 2022 demanding that China should respect Uyghur human rights.
I spoke to Irade Kashgary, one of the campaigners behind @NoRightsNoGames. They are calling for China to close the camps in Xinjiang, or cancel hosting of the Games. Their petition is a direct appeal to the International Olympic Committee. #NorightsNoGames2022 pic.twitter.com/CVgcN88Z7S
— Melissa Chan (@melissakchan) July 24, 2019
“So initially, we as global activists got together because we found that it is really ironic that the Olympics are supposed to promote peace and preserve human dignity while it’s being it held in Beijing for 2022.” Irade Kashgary explained in an interview with News Asia.
They are currently using the #NoRightsNoGames2022 movement in hopes that China will do as they are told along with the request to respect their rights outside of the camp. If China refuses the orders, this activist group will take action to call upon the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pick a different country for the games.
Source: Twitter
“We want the Olympics to go forward, we want the Olympics to be successful. But the main point is that they will not be successful if they’re held in a country where there are concentration camps, and they’re treating a population this way. We just want to know that the IOC is going to hold China accountable,” she continued.
According to Vice, at a press conference in early December, IOC President Thomas Bach was asked whether the organization would still hold the games considering China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
“There is an ongoing dialogue there with the organising committee, and we take this responsibility very seriously,” Bach said. “But we also have to respect our limits and our limitations. Our mandate and our responsibility is with regard to the Olympic Games.”
However, the government of China remain egoistic and have insisted that the concentration camps are “re-education camps”, and have denied all accusations of cruel punishment on their Uyghur prisoners.
What do you think of this development? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Also read: Thousands of HK Protesters Rally Against Abuse & Imprisonment of Uyghurs In China
