Beijing Olympics spokesperson calls reports of human rights abuses against Uyghurs ‘lies’

In the last regularly scheduled daily press conference for the Beijing Olympics organizing committee, a committee spokesperson got political in response to reporters’ questions, saying that reports of human rights abuses against the Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang were “lies.”

Olympic organizing committee spokesperson Yan Jiarong and International Olympic Committee (IOC) spokesperson Mark Adams faced questions relating to controversial issues that Chinese officials have previously refused to speak about during the games, The Associated Press reported. 

However, three days before the games were set to close, Yan spoke out, saying questions about reports that forced labor was being performed in camps in Xinjiang were “very much based on lies.”

“Some authorities have already disputed this false information. There is a lot of solid evidence. You are very welcome to refer to all that evidence and the facts,” she continued, according to the AP.

She responded similarly when a reporter asked Adams whether IOC garments were produced by Uyghur labor or made from Xinjiang cotton, the wire service reported.

“None of the production took place in Xinjiang, nor any of the input of raw materials comes from that region,” Adams said.

“I think the so-called forced labor in Xinjiang are lies made up by deliberate groups. And the relevant organizations have provided a large amount of facts to dispute that. And we are against the politicization of sports,” Yan said.

In response to a question about Taiwan reportedly trying to skip the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Yan reiterated China’s stance that the self-ruled island “is an indivisible part of China and this is a well recognized international principle and well recognized in the international community. We are always against the idea of politicizing the Olympic Games,” according to the AP.

A reporter suggested that Yan’s response itself “politicized” the games.

“There are views on all sorts of things around the world, but our job is to make sure that the games take place,” Adams said, according to the wire service.