China, Genocide and the Olympics

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 - 1:00pm
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will hold a joint hearing to examine the implications of holding the XXIV Winter Olympiad in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in light of the country’s egregious human rights record.
In February 2022, the People’s Republic of China is scheduled to host the XXIV WinterOlympiad. But the PRC’s highly repressive human rights policies, including practices the State Department deems crimes against humanity and genocide against ethnic minorities and the crushing of the democratic opposition in Hong Kong, have called into question the legitimacy of holding the games in China.
The hearing will examine China’s human rights practices against the ideals of the
Olympics and explore possible ways to leverage the Olympics to improve China’s human rights practices.
Hearing archive can be viewed on the TLHRC website.

Opening Statements

Senator Jeff Merkley, Chair
[Opening Statement]
 
Representative James P. McGovern, Cochair
[Opening Statement]
 
Represenative Chris Smith, Commissioner
[Opening Statement]
 
Represenative Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
[Full text of statement]

Witnesses

Susan V. Lawrence, Specialist in Asian Affairs, Congressional Research Service
[ Testimony ]
Sophie Richardson, China Director, Human Rights Watch
[ Testimony ]
Rayhan Asat, Human Rights Lawyer and Advocate
[ Testimony ]
Samuel Chu, Managing Director, Hong Kong Democracy Council
[ Testimony ]
Reggie Littlejohn, President, Women’s Rights Without Frontiers
[ Testimony ]
Dr. Yang Jianli, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China
[ Testimony ]