The International Tibet movement will stage a series of protests, hunger strikes and awareness-raising activities during the Winter Olympics in Turin.

Since its 2001 decision to award the 2008 Games to Beijing, the IOC has continued to pay mere lip service to human rights concerns. The Tibet movement has annually reported to the IOC its well documented and pressing concerns regarding ongoing human rights abuses in Tibet and China, concerns corroborated by several independent UN officials including the Special Rapporteur on Torture, who stated that torture in China and Tibet remained widespread, and described "a palpable level of fear" among those prisoners he interviewed.

By choosing to dismiss the recommendations of such reports from Tibetan groups, the IOC has demonstrated its refusal to engage in a constructive dialogue.

Matt Whitticase of Free Tibet Campaign said:

“'Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal' is this year's IOC slogan for the Olympic truce project in Turin. But at precisely the time when China is intensifying its campaign against Buddhist monks and nuns in Tibet the IOC continues to provide a propaganda platform for the Chinese Communist Party. Such equivocation compromises not only the Olympic ideal but also the integrity of all competing athletes.”

In a statement from Turin the International Tibet Support Network (ITSN) (1) called for the IOC to guarantee freedom of expression during the Beijing 2008 Games and to reverse its policy of ignoring the human rights situation in China and occupied Tibet. It also called for China to respect the rights of the Tibetan people and to start a substantial dialogue with the Tibetan government in Exile and the Dalai Lama.

Notes:
(1) The International Tibet Support Network (ITSN) is an alliance of 138 NGOs worldwide dedicated to ending human rights violations in Tibet and actively supporting the Tibetan people's right under international law to determine their future political, economic, social, religious and cultural status.