The Grim Backdrop to the Beijing Olympics

Several Western governments joined the U.S. in diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics amid the outcry over China’s human rights and religious freedom abuses. Nevertheless, the lack of international solidarity on this issue is apparent. The International Olympics Committee (IOC) has been noticeably muted on the issue. Several U.S. companies like Coca-Cola, Airbnb, Visa, and Procter & Gamble that are major sponsors of the Winter Games have refused to acknowledge the atrocities against Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in Xinjiang.In today’s conversation, we explore the disconnect between the severity of China’s human rights and religious freedom abuses, and the international action to address them. We are joined by USCIRF Vice Chair Nury Turkel and Naomi Kikoler, Director of the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.