Ottawa, February 4, 2022: A coalition of organizations supporting the human rights of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, Mongolians, Falun Gongs, and Chinese will mark the start of the Beijing Olympics with a ceremonial kick-off of the Genocide Games in front of the Chinese embassy in Ottawa.
The Chinese authorities in Tibet are clamping down on the rights of Tibetans to the preservation and practices of their language, culture, and religion. The year 2021 saw an increase in arbitrary arrests, torture, death–in-custody, or releasing in a near-death situation which has increasingly become a common phenomenon among Tibetan prisoners in China.
Due to the worsening of human rights situations under Chinese President Xi Jinping, democratic governments worldwide are calling for the boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics, with India as the latest country to announce a diplomatic boycott of the game.
The protest in Ottawa today will have a march, lighting of the flame of freedom, medal presentation to the Chinese president Xi Jinping for a role in stifling human rights, and personal stories told by individuals who experienced Chinese government torture and arrest in person. Tibetan activist from Toronto Tsewang Dhondup, who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic protest in Tibet, will speak about his experience. Tsewang Dhondup, originally from Kham Tehor (Eastern Tibet), was shot twice by Chinese military police in 2008 for participating in the peaceful demonstration against China’s discriminatory policy and practices. He had to stay hidden in the mountains for more than a year with a bullet injury.
By Sherap Therchin, Executive Director