The 2022 Winter Olympics, set in Beijing, will be held against a backdrop of human rights violations reminiscent of the Berlin Olympics of 1936. Today’s announcement that the United States will refrain from sending any government officials to the Games denies China the highly veiled propaganda they seek as host. The presence of U.S. dignitaries would have falsely symbolized support for the regime’s inhumane policies regarding the Uyghur people.
This action by the Biden Administration signals the United States’ commitment to human rights and is a step Jewish World Watch and our supporters have been pushing for since June and are thrilled to have come to fruition.
It is crucial to acknowledge that this decision alone does not address the genocide the Uyghur people face in China. The United States and other international powers must continue to press the Chinese Communist Party on their ongoing human rights violations.
Jewish World Watch will continue to push for meaningful legislation to address the persecution of Uyghurs in East Turkestan and anywhere within reach of the Chinese Community Party. This includes the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (H.R. 1155), which will hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable and prevent American consumers from unwittingly financing the genocide and crimes against humanity against the Uyghur people.