China is using the next one Winter Olympics in Beijing to “erase” their “terrible” human rights record, warned the director of the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW), urging countries to join a diplomatic boycott.

“The Chinese government is clearly trying to use the Beijing Olympics to cover up his terrible oppressionKenneth Roth told AFP His remarks were made in an interview ahead of the release of HRW’s annual report on Thursday.

United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada They announced that they would not be sending their political representatives to the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on February 4. These countries are suspected of committing human rights violations by China, including against the Uighur Muslim minority in the Xinjiang region.

HRW director insisted that other countries too should refrain from sending senior officials to the game. That would help to “expose the massive atrocities” in the region, as well as China’s “destruction of basic freedoms in Hong Kong”.

He also reminded that HRW did not ask athletes joined the boycott of the Beijing Olympics. However, he insisted that the government couldn’t just “pretend that everything was normal.”

“At the very least, the international community should join in the diplomatic boycott of the Olympics,” he added.

Sow discord

Asked Thursday about this statement, China’s Foreign Ministry accused the NGO of being “full of prejudice as usual.” Moreover, he said that «make up lies» To « sow discord ».

“Unpleasant words and actions (HRW) that seek to harm the goals of the Olympics will not achieve their goals,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told reporters.

Roth insisted that Olympic sponsors had to take a stand. “Instead of promoting” this effort to cover abuse, companies should “put focus on what’s happening in Xinjiang,” he said.

Activists denounce that at least one million Uyghurs and other minorities, mostly Muslims, they are imprisoned in “re-education camps” in Xinjiang. Beijing claims they are vocational training centers aimed at reducing Islamic extremism.

“All companies must do their best to avoid supporting or legitimizing repression from the Chinese government,” Roth said. It also considered that the recent decision by automaker Tesla to open dealerships in the region demonstrated a “lack of sensitivity.”

The HRW director continued to say that many countries appeared more determined to criticize China at the United Nations in New York and Geneva.

However, he regretted that the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who was scheduled to attend the inauguration of the Asian Games, “has saved absolute silence and refuses to speak critically of the Chinese government.’

“This is a huge global failure,” he argued.