FIDH - Three months before the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) launched a strong appeal to the sponsors of the Olympic Games to publicly support the Olympic values and call the People’s Republic of China to respect human rights.

Since October 2007, when it first sent a letter to the sponsors, FIDH has appealed to the Corporate Social Responsibility of all major Olympic Sponsors to ensure that human rights concerns form a part of their commercial dealings with the Chinese authorities and International Olympic Committee (IOC) organizing the Games.

Three months before the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, systematic violations of human rights are not only persisting, but the situation has further deteriorated. Major incidents recently marked the run-up to the Olympics, in particular the recent crack down in Tibet and the increased repression against human rights defenders, who used the Olympics as an opportunity to speak out against human rights abuses in China.

“Sponsors should draw the attention of the Chinese authorities on their promises that the Olympic Games shall contribute to the effective development of human rights, in particular freedom of expression, opinion and information” said FIDH President Ms. Souhayr Belhassen, in a letter sent today to the Olympic Sponsors.

Finally, FIDH urged the sponsors to cooperate closely with the IOC in order to elaborate a common approach regarding the serious human rights violations in China. Despite arguments for the contrary, more pressure should be put on the Chinese authorities to take measures and concrete steps (such as the release of all human rights defenders and political activists) to improve its human rights record ahead of the Olympic Games.

Top sponsors of the Olympic Games include :

General Electric , Coca-Cola Company, BHP Billiton, Atos Origin, Budweiser, Kodak, Haier International, McDonald’s Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Matsushita Panasonic, Lenovo, Time Warner, Omega, Adidas, Samsung, Visa International, UPS, Manulife, Volkswagen

Paris, 5 May 2008