Stop the torch going to Tibet! |
PETITION to the International Olympic Committee
On April 9th, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge said that, despite widespread protests, he has no plans to cut short the Olympic torch relay's journey through Tibet.
The Tibet Autonomous Region’s (TAR) Chairman Qiangba Puncog stated in Beijing: "We will fully prepare for it and the Olympic torch relay in Tibet will be a complete success". In an ominous warning against protests, he threatened: "If someone dares to sabotage the torch relay in Tibet and its scaling of Mount Everest, we will seriously punish him and will not be soft-handed”.
Click here to send an email and urge Mr. Rogge to avoid the potential bloodshed which may occur by persuading the Chinese authorities to alter the route and not take the torch through Tibet at this sensitive time.
- China has insisted on taking the torch through Tibet, despite the protests it has faced throughout the world.
- The Chairman of the TAR Qiangba Puncog has clarified that they will 'seriously punish' those who seek to mount similar protests as the torch heads through Tibet.
- Tibetans are aware that the closed nature of the country makes this a rare opportunity to be seen and heard standing up for their basic human rights.
- The IOC and Olympic torch sponsors are running the risk of ruining their reputations by supporting the torch run through Tibet, when a merciless reaction by the Chinese authorities may well leave sports fans and consumers believing they have blood on their hands.
Jacques Rogge: As protests have followed the controversial Olympic torch through the world, Tibet support is at a high, and the issue is firmly established in the minds of the international news media. But whereas protests in Europe, North America and elsewhere have been met largely with peaceful reactions, the Chinese authorities have made it clear that those who protest within Tibet itself during the torch relay will be dealt with 'without mercy'.
Sign the e-petition here Jacques Rogge: Stop the torch going to Tibet! Learn more about the torch protests.
| Text of the email Dear Jacques Rogge, I am writing to you with concern over plans to take the Olympic torch through Tibet, and the grim possibility of bloodshed which may occur if the Chinese authorities carry out threats to 'seriously punish' any protesters en route. The torch will go through areas where thousands of Tibetans, who protested peacefully in March, are being imprisoned, many suffering torture. The torch may very well cover ground where the blood of Tibetans has recently been shed. Parading the torch in front of the repressed people of Tibet would be an abhorrent sight, showing contempt for human rights and the Olympic ideal. By insisting the Olympic torch be carried through Tibet, China wants to show the world and its own citizens that Tibet is part of China. The torch, which is supposed to be the symbol of peace and harmony among nations, must not go to Tibet where a military lockdown is taking place. Bringing the torch to areas where protests have been crushed is surely going to escalate the situation and provoke further protests. That would lead to more arrests, torture and bloodshed, linking the torch and the IOC with Tibetan deaths. I urge you to please preserve the great Olympic ideals and avoid what could be a humanitarian disaster by altering the route so that the torch does not go through Tibet as this sensitive time.
Yours sincerely, YOUR NAME HERE
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