Activists of Students for Free Tibet (SFT) joined the global protest with a symbolic photo action in Dharmashala on Thursday against the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games being held in China. The Tibetan activists staged a drama to protest against Beijing Winter Olympics during a rainy morning on Thursday here.
Tibetan activists have termed Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as 'Genocide 2022'. Activists allege that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics opens amid atrocities and other grave human rights violations by the Chinese government.
"We are protesting the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022. So, we are here raising our voices for the one million Uyghurs and language and human rights advocates who are jailed in Tibet and the independence seekers in Hong Kong," said Tenzin Lekhden, campaign coordinator SFT.
With regard to their drama to protest against Beijing Winter Olympics, he said, "The players here are blindfolded and there is a mask so this symbolises deaf and blind eye to the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party that is happening right now in Tibet and elsewhere in China.
"We also have a representation of political prisoners here and the genocide medal," added Tenzin Lekhden.
SFT said that awarding the 2008 summer Olympics Games to Beijing did not prove to be a catalyst for improvements in the rights and lives of people who live under Chinese rule. Beijing treated the award to be an endorsement of its policies, so campaigners fear awarding the 2022 Winter Olympics to China would encourage China to increase repression.
Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese authorities have been committing mass abuses against Uyghurs, Tibetans, ethnic groups, and religious believers from all independent faith groups, claims SFT.
"Today in this action I am representing all the political prisoners not only in Tibet but in all the occupied countries by China like Uyghurs, Taiwan, Southern Mongolia and all," said Tenzin Passang, programme coordinator, SFT.
"The winter Olympics is going to begin in China and we are against that because the Olympics is trying to glorify what China is actually not. The brutality and suppression are happening inside Tibet and other occupied countries," said the activist.
"We hope China will listen to us but even if they do not listen, we hope that the international community will support us and stand against China," she added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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