Date: Tuesday, May 18, 2021 – 1:00pm
Location: 2172 Rayburn House Office Building and virtual via Cisco WebEx
Announcement
Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China for a joint hearing to examine the implications of holding the XXIV Winter Olympiad in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in light of the country’s egregious human rights record.
In February 2022, the People’s Republic of China is scheduled to host the XXIV Winter Olympiad. But the PRC’s highly repressive human rights policies, including practices the State Department deems crimes against humanity and genocide against ethnic minorities and the crushing of the democratic opposition in Hong Kong, have called into question the legitimacy of holding the games in China.
The hearing will examine China’s human rights practices against the ideals of the Olympics and explore possible ways to leverage the Olympics to improve China’s human rights practices.
The hearing will be virtual. Pursuant to H. Res. 965, Members of Congress and witnesses will participate via Cisco WebEx. Members of the public and the media may view the hearing by live webcast on the TLHRC website. The hearing will also be available for viewing on the House Digital Channel service. For any questions, please contact Piero Tozzi (for Rep. Smith) or Kimberly Stanton or Todd Stein (for Rep. McGovern) or Matt Squeri (for Sen. Merkley).
Hosted by:
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Chair, CECC
Opening Remarks
- Rep. Christopher H. Smith, Co-Chair, TLHRC
- Rep. James P. McGovern, Co-Chair, TLHRC
- Sen. Jeffrey A. Merkley, Chair, CECC
Witnesses
Panel I
- Dr. Yang Jianli, Founder and President, Citizen Power Initiatives for China
- Susan V. Lawrence, Specialist in Asian Affairs, Congressional Research Service
- Sophie Richardson, China Director, Human Rights Watch
- Rayhan Asat, Human Rights Lawyer and Advocate
- Samuel Chu, Managing Director, Hong Kong Democracy Council
- Reggie Littlejohn, President, Women’s Rights Without Frontiers