The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board will convene in Athens on 4, 5 and 6 June. Whether they want to or not, they will be discussing the situation in Tibet and the impact this has had on tarnishing the Beijing Olympics. So far, the IOC has been shamefully silent about the media blackout in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and other areas of historic Tibet. It is time the IOC stood up to the Chinese government by demanding that journalist be allowed back into all Tibetan areas.

Press freedom (for the foreign press) was the one concession the Chinese government made in order to win the 2008 Olympic Games. This promise was broken as soon as unrest began in Lhasa on 10 March and quickly spread throughout the Tibetan plateau.

Even before the Chinese authorities rounded up and removed all foreigners from the Tibetan plateau, journalists became immediate targets of threats, harassment and intimidation. Guns were waved in their faces, their passports were confiscated and their photographs and recordings destroyed.

The IOC responded by saying the Olympics should not be “politicised”, despite making reference themselves to China’s human rights record several times since 2001.

Free Tibet Campaign fears at least a hundred Tibetans have been killed and thousands arrested as a results of the protests which began on 10 March and continue today throughout Tibet. While Tibet remains hidden from the eyes of the world, the Chinese authorities can act with impunity.

The IOC must end its scandalous silence on human rights abuses in Tibet and it must demand that the Chinese government keeps its promise on media freedom.

Journalists must be allowed back into Tibet immediately.

There is a clear danger that the arrival of the Olympic torch relay in Lhasa on 19 June could spark further protests. Qiangpa Puncog, Tibet's China-backed governor, warned in April that if “someone dares to sabotage the torch relay in Tibet… we will seriously punish him and will not be soft-handed”.

TAKE ACTION:

Tell the IOC that you are outraged by its failure to act on the Chinese government’s broken promise.

Demand that the IOC tell the Chinese government that the torch cannot go into Tibet unless journalists are given unfettered access to report events. The only hope of restraining the Chinese military’s reaction to even the most peaceful protests is to ensure there are outside witnesses, and that China keeps its promise about press freedom. If the IOC fails to force China to allow journalists to return to Tibet and report without harassment or intimidation, they should prohibit the use of any Olympic symbols being paraded in Tibet.

Send an e-mail to:

Mr. Jacques Rogge
President
International Olympic Committee

E-mail: solidarity@olympic.org

Please send a copy to:

Lord Moynihan
Chairman
British Olympic Association

E-mail: boa@boa.org.uk