Holland: A Discussion in The Hague Concerning Human Rights as the Olympic Games Approaches

The Dutch Foreign Minister said China’s human rights records are worsening in the run-up to the Olympics.

According to Reuters, on the 18th of January, 2008, a discussion on China’s human rights record and the Olympics Games was held in The Hague, Holland. At the meeting, the Dutch Foreign Minister said that in the run-up to the Olympics, China’s human rights records was worsening, the issue of human rights should be addressed to Beijing.

Attending the event was the Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, NGO groups and political activists. Maxime Verhagen expressed concern that respect for human rights in China seemed to be deteriorating in the run-up to the Games. He said that we had to address these issues with China. Dutch celebrity Erik van Muiswinkel urged Dutch athletes to boycott the Olympics.

Human rights groups including the Falun Gong practitioners queued up to express their concern on China’s human rights issues. Many groups expressed that the need to stop the CCP’s persecution on human rights activists and demanded a boycott of the Olympic Games.

The Dutch Foreign Minister expressed his concern about the CCP persecution of human rights activist in China. He said that it seemed to be deteriorating in the run-up to the Games in respect of freedom of speech and freedom of press.

The CCP defends its human rights record by saying that the discussion of its human rights record with the Games was offensive. The CCP maintains that the feeding and clothing of the Chinese people takes precedence over human rights.