More questions on human rights for Beijing Winter Olympics

A spokeswoman for the World Uyghur Congress Zumretay Arkin was born in Xinjiang, immigrated to Canada and still has family in northwestern China. She described Xinjiang as a human-right issue, not simply a political issue.

She was disappointed with the respond of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). IOC repeated its stance that it’s not a political body and doesn’t take a position on human-rights issues. It simply organizes sports events. And it said, “Awardingntje Olympic Games to a national Olympic Committee does not mean that IOC agrees with the political structure, social circumstances or human rights in its country.”

Source: The Association Press #Oct16

https://apnews.com/article/winter-olympics-juan-antonio-samaranch-beijing-2020-tokyo-olympics-china-d03b46950b26420664677b8d1aa8caa2

#BeijingWinterOlympics #Xinjing #Ugyhur #IOC

China rumoured banning Hollywood films to counter the US diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Spider-Man and Matrix may not be released in China.

The United States announced on 6 Dec that they would not send government officials to the Beijing Winter Olympics as part of a diplomatic boycott. China's Foreign Ministry responded that if the US persists in its policy, "China will take firm countermeasures".

Rumours on Weibo on 9 Dec saying China will suspend the release of Hollywood films as the first wave of counter-measures in response to the US boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Perhaps, the first to be hit is the highly anticipated "Spider-Man: No Way Home".

A Weibo user commented on 8 Dec, "The news just came in that all US films have been suspended (except those already scheduled)". He said that Spider-Man was originally scheduled to release at 10:00 yesterday, but in response to the US boycott of the Winter Olympics, "the notice to suspend US films came down at 9:57...", meaning that Spider-Man will be banned completely.

Rumours are circulating online that the China State Administration of Radio, Film and Television has suspended the release of US blockbusters in China. The blockbusters include Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Matrix Resurrections, which will be released in Hong Kong on Christmas Day. Media outlets across the country have also been ordered not to publicise any US films.

Source: The Stand News #Dec09

#China #US #BeijingWinterOlympics #Olympics #DiplomaticBoycott #Hollywood #Film

#Arrest #Suppression #PoliceState
Hong Kong National Police arrested social activists before a planned Winter Olympics demonstration

Source: Inmediahk, #Feb4

#KooSzeYiu #NSL #Subversion #BeijingWinterOlympics

Read more
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https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/32103

#Arrest #Suppression #PoliceState
Hong Kong National Police arrested social activists before a planned Winter Olympics demonstration

Veteran pro-democracy activist Koo Sze-yiu, was re-arrested today (February 4) on suspicion of inciting subversion of state power. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The 75-year-old member of the League of Social Democrats was taken into custody at his Cheung Sha Wan home shortly after 6am, and was being held at Cheung Sha Wan Police station for questioning.

Koo informed the media about his plan for the demonstration outside Beijing’s Liaison Office in the city that morning to protest China’s Winter Olympics, calling for attention to political activists behind bars.

The police also arrested four other people to assist with the investigation, local media said, although it was unclear if they had also been arrested.

He will be on trial at 9:30am at West Kowloon Magistrate Court on February 5.

Koo was jailed in January 2021 for desecrating the Chinese national flag. It was the tenth prison sentence in his last 30 years.

The veteran social activist who is suffering from the fourth stage of cancer was sent to Stanley Prison in April 2021 for 5 months.

Source: Inmediahk, #Feb4
https://bit.ly/35NQfRc

#KooSzeYiu #NSL #Subversion #BeijingWinterOlympics

#Arrest #Suppression #PoliceState
75yo activist remains in custody until April on inciting subversion charge

#KooSzeYiu #NSL #Subversion #BeijingWinterOlympics

Source: InmediaHK; #Feb6

Read more
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#Arrest #Suppression #PoliceState
75yo activist remains in custody until April on inciting subversion charge

Hong Kong activist Koo Sze-yiu appeared before a national security judge in the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on February 5, the day after he was arrested for inciting subversion.

Read more on his arrest:
Hong Kong National Police arrested social activists before a planned Winter Olympics demonstration
https://t.me/BeWaterHK/61

As Koo stepped into the defendant’s dock, he tried to wave and thank his supporters in the courtroom, but was immediately stopped by court security.

Later on when the magistrate asked Koo whether he understood the charges against him, Koo shouted, “Human rights rank above the right of states, and the people are more important than the state. I am not guilty.”

He was soon interrupted by the judge and ordered to cease shouting.

Without a legal representative, Koo applied for bail on his own, and was denied. He was not required to enter a plea as the Judge adjourned the case to April 1, 2022. Koo would be remanded in custody until then.

#KooSzeYiu #NSL #Subversion #BeijingWinterOlympics

Source: InmediaHK; #Feb6
https://bit.ly/3rsxwmp

Canadian and Taiwanese Artists Uses Music and Drawings to Show their Support on Human Rights

#BeijingWinterOlympics has begun since #Feb04 with boycotts voices circulating the world.

Some artists show their dissatisfaction with #HumanRightsViolation in China with paintbrushes and music notes. A Canadian painter creates "Genocide Games" to mock Beijing Winter Olympic while a Taiwanese band composes "The Times Looking After the Righteous (#時代看顧正義的人)" to criticise dictatorship.

Both works show support to the belief in democracy and freedom.

The Canadian artist, Ricker Choi, is originally from Hong Kong but emigrated to Canada when he was 13. Yet, he is always concerning the situation in Hong Kong. Ricker has created lots of artworks since 2019, supporting Hong Kong democracy movements.

When the winter Olympics was approaching, his heart was filled with emotions. As a result, he picked up his pen and produced a picture "#GenocideGames".

Ricker said, "China claimed to improve the human rights issues in 2008 #OlympicGames, to be free, democratic and open. In fact, the reality is, however, the opposite. They suppress #Uyghurs and #Tibetans, persecuting Hong Kong, threatening Taiwan. Letting them host the Olympic Games again is the greatest sarcasm."

Ricker Choi's Twitter post:
https://twitter.com/RickerChoi/status/1478919590520438785

Source: RFA #Jan17

https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/lf-01172022161411.html?encoding=traditional

#Genocide

#Swedish winter Olympic champion gives #GoldMedal away to protest China’s human rights abuses

//Swedish athlete Nils van der Poel has given his gold medal from the #BeijingWinterOlympics to to the daughter of jailed bookseller #GuiMinhai, in protest against China’s “oppression” of free speech and human rights.

Gui, a Swedish citizen, was one of five Hong Kong-based booksellers affiliated with #CausewayBayBooks, which sold political gossip titles.

“I am not the voice of all Olympians, but me and my friends dedicated our lives to strive for excellence within sports, and the Chinese government chose to use our dreams as a political weapon to legitimise their regime. To me that was personal, and I felt exploited,” van der Poel told #AmnestyInternational.//

Read the full article:
https://hongkongfp.com/2022/02/28/swedish-winter-olympic-champion-gives-gold-medal-away-to-protest-chinas-human-rights-abuses/

Source: Hong Kong Free Press #Feb28

#NilsVanDerPoel #Sport

#China Asked #Russia to Delay #UkraineWar Until After #BeijingWinterOlympics, U.S. Officials Say

//A Western intelligence report said senior Chinese officials told senior Russian officials in early February not to invade Ukraine before the end of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, according to senior Biden administration officials and a European official.

The report indicates that senior Chinese officials had some level of direct knowledge about Russia’s war plans or intentions before the invasion started last week. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia met with President Xi Jinping of China in Beijing on Feb. 4, 2022 before the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Moscow and Beijing issued a 5,000-word statement at the time declaring that their partnership had “no limits,” denouncing NATO enlargement and asserting that they would establish a new global order with true “democracy.”//

Read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/us/politics/russia-ukraine-china.html

Source: New York Times #Mar2

Chinese Mobile Phones May Send User Data to China, Belgium Warns

Belgian justice minister Vincent #VanQuickenborne has warned that mobile phones made by Chinese brands may pose spying risks to users, Le Soir reported.

Given the laws under which Chinese #smartphones are produced, Van Quickenborne said, the data they hold may be sent to the Chinese authorities or exposed to #espionage.

According to Le Soir’s report, Chinese law requires companies to store their data on Chinese servers and grant the Chinese authorities access to the IT system.

While #Europe has been slower than the US in its crackdown on Chinese telecom firms, Sino-European relations have become increasingly tense following #China ’s sanctions against Lithuania and as fears of espionage and data theft grow.

#Belgium had previously cautioned athletes attending the #BeijingWinterOlympics against hackers.

Source: Technews #Feb15

https://technews.tw/2022/02/15/huawei-xiaomi-china/