Sports-Washing Repression As Olympics Head to Beijing: Daily Brief
China’s human rights record in stark contrast to Olympic ideals; two Belarus coaches asked to leave Tokyo Olympic Village; police abuses surge in Sri Lanka; space for free expression shrinks in Russia; civilians prevented from leaving combat zone in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province; US Ambassador to the UN expresses concern about crisis in Tigray; and remembering the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
As the Summer Olympics in Tokyo wrap up, attention is shifting to the February 2022 winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing. China is the only Olympic host actively committing crimes against humanity. In an unprecedented move, legislators in the European Union, United States, Canada, the UK and other countries are pushing for a diplomatic boycott.
The IOC has stripped two Belarus coaches of their accreditation over their alleged involvement in an attempt to force sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya to return home after she had criticized her coaches on Instagram.
Police abuses in Sri Lanka surge under cover of Covid-19 pandemic measures and an anti-drug campaign.
The space for free expression is shrinking dramatically ahead of Russia’s September 19 parliamentary elections.
Mozambican security forces are preventing tens of thousands of civilians who fled the embattled Palma district following an attack in March by an armed group linked to the Islamic State (ISIS), from leaving the fighting.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield has expressed concern about the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Tigray, Ethiopia.
And lastly, today marks 76 years since the bombing of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. An estimated 90,000 to 140,000 people were killed instantly. A stark reminder of the terrors of nuclear weapons.