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09.01.2004Olympic Watch: Prevent SARS through freedom of speechPrague, January 9, 2004 – Olympic Watch (Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games in a Free and Democratic Country) has issued a statement today in which it responds to the latest cases of SARS in China. It calls on the government of the People’s Republic to China “to ensure the freedom of speech and access to information”, pointing out that “[t]his will be the only way to effectively curb the spread of the virus.”The statement, signed by Jan Ruml, Chairman of the Olympic Watch Committee, stresses the widely accepted fact that it was the limited access to information that contributed to the spread of AIDS and SARS in China in recent years. “If Beijing is to host the 2008 Olympic Games, it is imperative that the government realize the responsibility that goes along with this truly global event,” says Olympic Watch in its statement, pointing out the increased risk of global pandemics in case freedom of speech and access to information are not ensured in China by the time of the 2008 Olympics. The Beijing regime is among the world’s grossest violators of freedom of speech. The operation of international media is limited in the country, and Chinese media are subject to censorship. Dozens of Chinese journalists serve prison sentences for reporting news that did not please the Chinese authorities. Many foreign websites are blocked in the whole of China, and Beijing’s treatment of Chinese people who post their opinions on the web has created the specific category of “cyber-dissidents”. Olympic Watch (Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games in a Free and Democratic Country) was established in Prague in 2001. Its mission is to monitor the human rights situation in the People’s Republic of China in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games and to campaign to achieve improvements in the lives of the people of China. The full text of the statement follows below. FULL TEXT OF THE STATEMENT OF JANUARY 9, 2004 Olympic Watch (Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games in a Free and Democratic Country) is concerned with the news of a recent SARS outbreak and calls on the government of the People’s Republic of China to ensure the freedom of speech and access to information. This will be the only way to effectively curb the spread of the virus. As news emerges of additional SARS cases in China, we are reminded of how the barriers to freedom of speech and access to information in the PRC contributed to last year’s epidemic that spread immediately around the world. We also remember the citizens of the PRC who fell victim to the AIDS epidemic due to the fact that the Beijing government blocked access to crucial information about this disease. If Beijing is to host the 2008 Olympic Games, it is imperative that the government realize the responsibility that goes along with this truly global event. So long as the freedom of speech and access to information are not ensured in China, tens of thousands of Olympians and visitors to the Games will face an increased risk of infectious disease. The return to their home countries around the world could result in unimaginable pandemics. The freedom of speech must be ensured in China, as pledged by the Chinese authorities at the time of Beijing’s bid for the 2008 Olympic Games. It is the sincere hope of Olympic Watch for the citizens of the People’s Republic of China that the current outbreak does not claim lives and that the Beijing government upholds its human rights commitments, including the freedom of speech and access to information. Prague, January 9, 2004 Jan Ruml Chairman, Olympic Watch Olympic Watch |
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