Office Edward McMillan-Scott, Vice-President of the European Parliament ( 11.12.2007) - On the eve of a debate in the European Parliament on the outcome of the EU-China human rights dialogue, leading MEPs and human rights organisations stressed the fact that human rights and the Olympic Games cannot be separated.  

Speaking at a press conference in Strasbourg on Tuesday 11 December, Edward McMillan-Scott (EPP-ED), Vice-President of the European Parliament, said:  

"The international community can no longer ignore the evidence that is staring them in the face.   The Chinese authorities are guilty of gross violations of human rights - to sit back and ignore these is like sitting back and ignoring the fact that Article 1 of the Olympic Charter clearly states that the Games be based on 'fundamental universal ethical principles'."  

Willy Fautre, Director of Human Rights without Frontiers, said that many thousands of human rights defenders are still detained by the Chinese authorities, despite their protests to the contrary.  This is in addition to the continued persecution of religious minorities and the 8-10,000 executions carried out by the regime each year.  

The audience also heard from noted human rights attorney, Gao Zhisheng, who was removed from his home by the Chinese authorities in September 2007 following publication of an Open Letter to US Congress.   The communication came via video footage filmed in July 2007 whilst Mr Zhisheng was still under house arrest.  Gao Zhisheng said: 

"If this Olympic Games results in one innocent Chinese person losing their freedom to ensure successful Games, then they are not founded upon any moral basis. If this is the case, then there is no basis upon which to showcase China's prosperity".    

Robert Evans MEP (Socialist, London), Chairman of the delegation for relations with South Asia and member of the panel, said:  

"We shouldn't underestimate the importance of hosting the Olympic Games which is always publicised and showcased as the greatest sporting event in the world.   The fear is that if the Olympic Games goes ahead against this background of human rights abuses it will be almost as though the rest of the world is saying either we don't mind what China does, or it is acceptable."  

The panel called for MEPs to use their position as elected representatives to urge National Olympic Committees to inform their athletes as to the real human rights situation in China, so as to prevent a repeat of 1936, when sportsmen returning from the Berlin Games said that if they had known about the existence of concentration camps they never would have participated.