Speaking from Moscow, John Hocevar, Executive Director of Students for a
Free Tibet, said: “we are very concerned about the IOC’s commitment to
ensure the rights and safety of those who plan to attend the games in
Beijing. Given the IOC’s lack of engagement with civil society and
failure to address human rights concerns during the lead up to the vote,
we have serious doubts about its willingness to hold China accountable
for human rights violations associated with the 2008 Games.”

Press Release, July 13, 2001

Contact: Lhadon Tethong, Students for a Free Tibet (212)358-0071

International Olympic Committee awards Beijing 2008 Games:
Tibetan Freedom Movement vows to intensify opposition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tibetans and their supporters around the world have condemned the IOC
decision to give the 2008 Olympics to Beijing, and have vowed to
intensify their opposition over the next seven years.

“We are outraged that the IOC has chosen to overlook the systematic
destruction of Tibetan culture and human rights abuses committed by the
Chinese government,” said Lhadon Tethong of Students for a Free Tibet.
“But our campaign is far from over. Not only will we hold the IOC
accountable for this decision, but we will ensure that, through these games,
the situation in Chinese occupied Tibet comes under public scrutiny as never before.”

Over the past six months, Tibetans and Tibet supporters have sent over
250,000 postcards, letters, emails, faxes and petitions to IOC members
opposing the Beijing bid. Thousands of exiled Tibetans signed khatas,
traditional Tibetan offering scarves, to counter Beijing’s claim that
Tibetans inside of Tibet supported the bid. Two students were arrested
in Washington, D.C. late last month when they scaled the Chinese Embassy
to hang a banner protesting China’s Olympic bid and occupation of Tibet.

Two days before the decision in Moscow, 5 Tibetans, and 1 Swiss
supporter were arrested, along with 2 journalists, after attempting to
stage a peaceful protest against China’s bid.

Speaking from Moscow, John Hocevar, Executive Director of Students for a
Free Tibet, said: “we are very concerned about the IOC’s commitment to
ensure the rights and safety of those who plan to attend the games in
Beijing. Given the IOC’s lack of engagement with civil society and
failure to address human rights concerns during the lead up to the vote,
we have serious doubts about its willingness to hold China accountable
for human rights violations associated with the 2008 Games.”

China’s bid was successful, despite a series of events that undermined
its government’s claims that hosting the Games would facilitate
improvements in human rights and that foreign journalists would be
allowed to freely cover the Games. A report released by Amnesty
International on July 6th showed that China executed at least 1,781
people in the past three months - more than the rest of the world
combined in the past three years. Recently an American reporter was
badly beaten by Chinese police and another high incarnate child lama in
occupied Tibet (8 year old Pawo Rinpoche) was placed under house arrest.

The International Tibet Support Network (ITSN) is a collective of over
100 Tibet related non-governmental organizations from Europe, Asia,
Africa and the Americas. The ITSN consolidates various components of
international Tibet advocacy around issues of social justice, human
rights and the environment through a democratic and participatory
process of decision-making and activism.