Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC)
12 February 2008
press release
The decision by the film director Steven Spielberg to step down as artistic consultant to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games should prompt other influential outsiders to press China to reform, Human Rights Watch said today. Corporate sponsors, governments and National Olympic Committees should urge Beijing to improve human rights conditions in China, Human Rights Watch said.
"Olympic corporate sponsors are putting their reputations at risk unless they work to convince the Chinese government to uphold the human rights pledges it made to bring the Games to Beijing," said Minky Worden, media director at Human Rights Watch. "Human rights are under attack in China, and Olympic sponsors should use their considerable leverage to persuade Beijing to change policy."
Spielberg, who decided that the Chinese government had not been sufficiently active in resolving the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region, said, "With this in mind, I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual."
Human Rights Watch has urged that sponsors not only press China's government to end its support of governments such as Sudan and Burma that commit massive abuses but also that they encourage Beijing to improve deplorable human rights conditions in China itself.
Six months before the Games launch in August 2008, Human Rights Watch has documented a systematic crackdown on dissent, with the government jailing or placing under house arrest critics of the government and their family members under spurious charges of "subversion" to silence them. Abuses of journalists continue and there is heightened internet censorship despite China's Olympics pledge to respect press freedom. Human Rights Watch has documented a host of serious violations linked to the preparation of the Games, including forced evictions, land seizures, suppression of petitioners and closure of schools for migrant children.
"Repression in China is on the rise, and Olympic sponsors, governments, or world leaders - especially those planning to attend the Games - can't pretend otherwise," said Worden. "These influential players should be prepared to show the steps they are taking to address the worsening rights climate in China, or they risk being tarnished by a human rights debacle."
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watch. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
it's unfair and unresonable to pressure china by boybotting 2008 olympic games. spielberg's resign itself is a humilation to olympic games, which is SPORTS meeting, but not political tool. sudan prolblem is not a over-night one, but why did spielberg choose this occasion to pull out? why didnot he refuse at first? obeviously, he had malicious intention. besides, is Darfur the only humanitarian crisis in the world? how do you view other problems in the world,such as Iraq,afganistan middle east or congo? how many innocent people are being killed everyday except in Darfur? and do not you think MOST OF these casuaties are caused by US? spielberg, why not quit you american citizenship to protest the american policies towards Iraq,middle-east.you hypocrite. the so-called human rights peoblems in china are not the same as those who DO NOT undersand china at all said. different history and diffrent culture certainly cause different views on many issues, including views on human rights,policies and ideologies. those who criticize human rights in china need understand china's history and reality by visiting china themselves. or, with your standards and point-of-view, china will never match the so-called human rights standards. due to different history and development courses, it is impossible to realize same human rights all around the world. and requests on china are unfair at all,and also go against human rights.
I would like to nominate Spielberg as an honorary Angry African for the day. He did not have to do it. He wasn’t under a lot of pressure. But he did it in any case. And we applaud him for doing that.
I recently wrote in my blog - Angry African on the Loose - that Harare should be given the next Olympics - if the Olympics follow their own argument and values in the same way they argued in favour of Beijing. See my blog(http://angryafrican.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/and-the-olympics-goes-to- zimbabwe/ for more details. Steven you make us proud. You are now one of us! http://angryafrican.wordpress.com/