ITSN Olympics Mission statement

13 February 2006 The campaign "2008-FreeTibet" uses the Beijing Olympics to pressure the Chinese authorities for a fundamental change in occupied Tibet. By hosting the 2008 Games in Beijing, the Chinese leadership hopes to present China as a free and open society to the outside world. The reality is very different.

Our campaign highlights the systematic suppression of fundamental human rights. It deploys educational and protest activities to events related to the 2008 Games and seeks support from people around the world to press for freedom in Tibet and in China.

  1. We call upon the athletes and the international community to use the opportunity of the 2008 Games in Beijing to voice their solidarity with the Tibetan people and support for the fundamental values of freedom and justice shared by the founders of the Olympic movement and people around the world.
  2. We urge the IOC to guarantee freedom of expression during the Beijing 2008 Games and to revise its policy of ignoring the human rights situation in China and the situation in occupied Tibet.
  3. We call on the Chinese government to respect the rights of the Tibetan people and to resolve the Tibetan issue through sincere dialogue with the Tibetan government in Exile and the Dalai Lama.
  4. We urge all governments to pressure the Chinese authorities to immediately release all political prisoners in Tibet and China.

To read more on ITSN's Olympics campaign, please click here