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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > August > 01
Friday, August 1, 2008
IOC can’t run away from responsibility, blame
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On a recent trip to Beijing, a U.S. Olympic Committee official was laying on the bed in his hotel room watching CNN. It seemed like a normal newscast until a story began, “In Paris today …” — and the audio died and the screen went black.
We’ll never know what the story was about. But let’s assume it had more to do with protests over human rights violations than the secrets to making a lovely béarnaise sauce.
On Monday, I leave for the Beijing to cover the Olympics. The global news octopus notwithstanding, if I feel the need to catch up with past developments three blocks from my hotel when I return, there’s a reason.
Less than a week before Opening Ceremonies, Chinese officials continue to limit access to certain Internet sites carrying stories or blogs about Tibetan protests, personal independence or spiritual freedoms.
Fortunately, Big Brother will be hands off regarding any pre-season news about the SEC, unless Phil Fulmer suddenly takes a position on Tibet.
“There’s probably not much likelihood of that,” said Suzanne Wright, a China country specialist with Amnesty International, and Tennessee resident.
The IOC should have known better. For Jacques Rogge to say as recently as two weeks ago, “There will be no censorship of the Internet,” was at best blind and presumptuous and at worst a lie.
China should get only limited blame for this ugly feud. It is not going to change its government just because the Olympics are there for 17 days. And if the IOC really felt strongly about censorship and human rights, it never would have awarded the Games to China in the first place.
What we’re seeing now is massive global spin by one of the world’s most disingenuous and corrupt outfits. The reality is, as long as IOC officials still have a Ritz to sleep in, a Rolex waiting for them at check-in and an envelope back home with cruise tickets for Crete, all is well in their world.
Amnesty International considers it a small accomplish that China decided only Thursday night to unblock access to its Web site, as well as the BBC (Chinese language) and Radio Free Asia. But a question: Shouldn’t celebrating human rights be considered a part of the Olympic message?
“It is true that while the IOC has made some statements regarding human rights and is trying to influence China, overall they have really chosen not to speak out on the issue,” Wright said. “When they have talked about improvements they’ve made, they’ve been cherry-picking. They don’t talk about the overall situation, some of which are related to the Olympics.”
The three pillars of the Olympics are: sport, environment, culture. Amnesty International believes human rights should be a fourth pillar, and Wright said there are plans to approach the IOC following these Games.
Attempting to keep politics out of the Olympics is a noble but futile endeavor. Further, there are human rights violations directly related to these Olympics. China has been practicing “administrative detention,” in which protesters and otherwise perceived troublemakers are rounded up and taken to labor camps for a “re-education,” about the concepts of socialism and the like. This practice has been stepped up in the past year to clear the streets before the Games.
Many specifically protesting the Olympics coming to Beijing also have been arrested. One famous case involves Ye Guozhu. His home and restaurant were razed in 2004 to make way for new venues. Ye applied for a permit to protest. When he did so, he was charged with “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble,” Wright said.
Ye was jailed for four years. His sentence was to be completed last Saturday. But police took him from prison to another location. His family was told he will be “detained” until Oct. 1 for the benefit of the country.
IOC officials can do nothing about this. But it created the problem by awarding the Olympics to China. They can’t turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to the situation whether the screen goes black or not.
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