IOC: Press Beijing on Human Rights

International Olympic Committee: Rights Reforms Needed

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were a historic opportunity for China to make tangible and sustainable progress in ensuring basic human rights for its 1.3 billion citizens. Yet this opportunity was squandered , as the International Committee (IOC) and corporate sponsors of the Games failed to press for an end to Olympics-related human rights abuses. These abuses included forced evictions of thousands of Beijing residents to make way for Olympic venues, the exploitation of many of the migrant workers who built these venues, and the harassment and detention of journalists in China.

Despite human rights pledges made to the International Olympic Committee to win the right to host the 2008 Summer Games, the Chinese government failed to implement greater media freedom and other rights improvements. Instead, Beijing tightened its grip on the media, domestic human rights defenders, and grassroots activists to choke off any possible expressions of dissent before and during the Games.

The International Olympic Committee is currently not equipped to deal with human rights violations committed by host countries. This could be addressed with the creation an IOC standing committee on human rights, or similar mechanism which would help set and apply human rights standards for potential Olympic hosts. The requirement of respect for these basic rights could be included in the IOC Model Candidature for Olympic host countries. Host City Contracts should also be made public, to better ensure compliance with human rights standards and benchmarks.

Human Rights Watch has made an official submission to the 2009 Olympic Congress, which will take place in Copenhagen on October 3-5, 2009. This submission can be viewed here.

The proposed reform is particularly important ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Many Olympics-related rights violations encountered in China, such as abuses of migrant workers and repression of civil society, risk being repeated in Russia. The problem of media censorship is especially acute in Russia, where two journalists were murdered in just one week in September 2008.

Please make your voice heard by writing to IOC President Jacques Rogge, in support of this proposal. Learn More

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Jacques Rogge - President, International Olympic Committee

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Dear (recipient name),

While the 2008 Beijing Games were a success in terms of athletic performance, the deterioration of the human rights situation in China before and during the Olympics violated the “human dignity” principles embodied in the Olympic Charter.  The Chinese government cracked down harshly on human rights activists and failed to respect its own temporary regulations guaranteeing press freedom for foreign journalists.   The internet was censored and peaceful protesters were detained despite Beijing’s pledges to allow demonstrations.

The International Olympic Committee is currently not equipped to deal with human rights violations committed by host countries. I wish to express my support for Human Rights Watch’s proposal for an IOC standing committee on human rights, or similar mechanism.

An IOC human rights committee would help set and apply human rights standards for potential Olympic hosts. The requirement of respect for these basic rights would be included in the IOC Model Candidature for Olympic host countries.  Host City Contracts should be made public, to better ensure compliance with human rights standards and benchmarks.

Human rights reforms inside the Olympic movement will be particularly important ahead of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, where many Olympics-related rights violations encountered risk being repeated. Russia remains an especially dangerous place for journalists, ranking 4th on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ “Impunity Index” with 14 unsolved murders of reporters in 1998-2007.

I urge you to adopt this human rights reforms as soon as possible, but certainly in time for the next Olympic Congress to take place in Copenhagen in October 2009.

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