WASHINGTON, D.C. – As first reported by Fox News, Rep. Mike Gallagher introduced the Free Peng Shuai Act, legislation that would impose Global Magnitsky sanctions on the President and other senior members of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed complicit in Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai’s disappearance last year.
The bill comes as human rights activists warn athletes not to criticize China during the Olympics amid fears the IOC cannot protect them, and as the Washington Post reports that Yang Shu, deputy director general of international relations for the Beijing Organizing Committee, said, “Any behavior or speech that is against the Olympic spirit, especially against the Chinese laws and regulations, are also subject to certain punishment.”
“Peng Shuai’s disappearance demonstrates the dangers facing the thousands of athletes who are about to travel to Beijing for the Olympics. The IOC knows this, but rather than stand up for athletes, it has chosen its own self-interest and been complicit in the CCP’s human rights abuses. Boycotting the Olympics is not enough. It’s time to sanction IOC President Thomas Bach and any other IOC official who helped cover up Peng’s disappearance,” said Rep. Gallagher.
Click HERE for bill text.
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