Berlin, August 6 – 127 international athletes, including more than 40 competing in the Beijing Games, have signed an open letter to China’s President Hu Jintao calling for a peaceful solution to the Tibet issue and respect for human rights in China. Signatories include world champions Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic, 110m hurdles world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba, American 400m runner DeeDee Trotter, and Panamaian long-jumper Irving Saladino.
In their letter, initiated by ‘Sports for Peace’ in Germany, the athletes say that measures taken on the issues they outline “will have a strong influence on the outcome of the Olympic Games and the image the world will have of China in the future.”
The athletes appeal to President Hu Jintao:
- to enable a peaceful solution for the issue of Tibet and other conflicts in your country with respect to fundamental principles of human rights
- to protect freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of opinion in your country, including Tibet
- to ensure that human rights defenders are no longer intimidated or imprisoned
- to end the death penalty
The statement published in the International Herald Tribune today, and names of signatories, can be viewed at http://www.sportsforpeace.de.
