WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics begin:
“Today, as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics commence, I urge the global community to join in a moment of silence in recognition of all of those suffering immense injustice under the crushing totalitarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party.
“While our athletes compete in the Olympics and Paralympics, exemplifying American potential, values, and aspirations on the world stage, and doing so in the face of the CCP’s depravity, we must affirm our support for Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others across China, including all other ethnic and religious minorities, who are gravely persecuted by a regime consumed with tightening its own grip on power. We must continue to champion the causes of the many victims of Beijing’s crimes against humanity, including heinous torture and genocide, and raise our voices alongside the people of Hong Kong still fighting for autonomy and respect for their way of life.
“Our celebrations of the best of the human spirit should not be dulled by ignoring flagrant human rights abuses. Let these Games be a clarion call to action. The world must be united in holding those who perpetrate these atrocities to account.”
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