Amid the spread of the Omicron variant of the Wuhan virus, the Chinese Communist Party has warned foreign athletes that they could potentially face punishment if they use free speech that is “against the Olympic spirit” or local laws.
The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is just two weeks away and Yang Shu, deputy director-general of international relations for the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOC) said, “Any behavior or speech that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment,”.
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) charter prohibits any kind of “demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda” in any Olympic sites, venues, or other areas.
On Tuesday night (January 18), a forum hosted by Human Rights Watch warned athletes about conducting any activism, including making statements, while in Beijing for the Games, and to be very careful with regards to the extraordinary reach of one-party authoritarian state Chinese surveillance.
The human rights forum also made it clear to all the participating athletes that if they are caught demostrating any political or religious activism, do not to expect the IOC to protect them from the Chinese authorities.
“Chinese laws are very vague on the crimes that can be used to prosecute people’s free speech,” she said. “People can be charged with picking quarrels or provoking trouble. There are all kinds of crimes that can be levelled at peaceful, critical comments. And in China the conviction rate is 99%.” Dr. Sophie Richardson, the China director at Human Rights Watch, said.
Also, according to a report published in DW.com, Citizen Lab, a Canadian cybersecurity group has raised serious concerns over health-tracking smartphone app that Olympic attendees must download because the lab has established beyond a reason of doubt that it has security flaws in the app, including a list of political keywords and a feature to report “politically sensitive content.”
Ai Weiwei, who is regarded as one of the world’s greatest living artists and had helped design the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics’ Bird’s Nest Stadium, who now lives in in exile said, “Beijing Winter Olympics will allow China to use the Games to show the world a fake smile,”.
#TheAPInterview: Ai Weiwei, one of China's most famous artists who helped design the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics' Bird's Nest Stadium, says in exile that the Beijing Winter Olympics will allow China to use the Games to show the world “a fake smile.” https://t.co/k2lP0Q44px
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 18, 2022
“As an architect, my goal was the same as other architects, that is, to design it as perfectly as possible,” Ai told The Associated Press in an interview over email. “The way it was used afterwards went in the opposite direction from our ideals. We had hoped that our architecture could be a symbol of freedom and openness and represent optimism and a positive force, which was very different from how it was used as a promotional tool in the end.”
“Since 2008, the government of China has further strengthened its control, and the human rights situation has further deteriorated,” Ai told AP.
“China has seen the West’s hypocrisy and inaction when it comes to issues of human rights, so they have become even bolder, more unscrupulous and more ruthless. In 2022, China will impose more stringent constraints to the internet and political life,” including human rights and the press, he said.
“China, under the system of state capitalism and especially after COVID, firmly believes that its administrative control is the only effective method; this enhances their belief in authoritarianism. Meanwhile, China thinks that the West, with its ideas of democracy and freedom, can hardly obtain effective control. So, the 2022 Olympics will further testify to the effectiveness of authoritarianism in China and the frustration of the West’s democratic regimes.”
Meanwhile, Germany, Australia, the UK, and the US have asked their athletes and National Olympic Committee members to leave their personal phones and laptops behind and to travel with special devices because of potential digital espionage.
Click here to subscribe to The Commune on Telegram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.