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Beijing Olympic sponsors urged to speak up on human rights abuses in China
- Human Rights Watch says sponsors risk ‘being associated with an Olympics tainted by censorship and repression’
- It calls for an end to the silence from sponsors, which include Intel, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung, Toyota, Visa, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Allianz and Alibaba
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Corporate sponsors of February’s Beijing Winter Olympics must speak up on rights abuses in China or risk being tainted by association, Human Rights Watch said on Friday.
Preparations for the Games have been overshadowed by the Covid-19 pandemic and calls from rights groups for a partial or full boycott.
New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) is now urging sponsors, which include Intel, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung, Toyota, Visa, Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Allianz and Alibaba, to do more.
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HRW said it wrote to sponsors earlier this year but received only one response.
02:38
Global brands face backlash in China for rejecting Xinjiang cotton
Global brands face backlash in China for rejecting Xinjiang cotton
“There are just three months until the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, but corporate sponsors remain silent over how they are using their influence to address China’s appalling human rights record,” said Sophie Richardson, HRW’s China director.
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