Hawzah News Agency –Athletes gathered for the Beijing Winter Olympics despite the ongoing persecution and genocide of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Approximately 3 million Uyghurs have been forcibly detained at internment camps where they are subject to torture, rape, mass sterilisation, forced labour and made to renounce their Muslim beliefs and practices.

Some brave athletes have taken a stand and have refused to take part, in solidarity with the victims. Others made important gestures to ensure their plight does not go ignored. The Muslim Council of Britain called upon everyone involved – including broadcasters and sponsors – to use every opportunity to raise awareness around the plight of the Uyghur people.

Dubbing them the “Genocide Games”, Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain said:

“China’s crimes against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, as documented by NGOs, survivors and observers, are crimes against humanity. They have been described as a genocide by human rights organisations as well.

“In the spirit of the vision of the International Olympic Committee, to ‘Build a Better World through Sport’, we must not allow China to use these Genocide Games to hide their actions. We all have a moral duty to highlight the plight of the Uyghur people, and to stand firmly against injustice and oppression.”

The Muslim Council of Britain calls upon the international community to support calls for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation against senior Chinese leadership for genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Uyghur people.