11 September 2013, 18:48
HRW: new IOC President should pay attention to human rights violations in Sochi
Thomas Bach, new President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), shall take the principled position on compliance with the Olympic Charter and draw attention to human rights violations during the preparation for the Olympic Games in Sochi. This is declared in the statement of the international human rights organization "Human Rights Watch" (HRW).
Thomas Bach succeeds Jacques Rogge, whose 12-year stay as the IOC President was overshadowed by human rights violations in the host countries of the Olympic Games, including Russia. This was stated by the HRW.
"The violations recorded on the eve of both the Beijing and Sochi Olympic Games include use of migrants' labour at the Olympic construction sites, forced eviction of families without any adequate compensation, suppression of media freedom and pressure against critical civil society activists," declares the HRW's statement.
The HRW has also drawn the Thomas Bach's attention to the Russian law prohibiting propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations, violating the Olympic principle of non-discrimination.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on August 13, the HRW issued the statement demanding that the leaders of the IOC should draw attention to the situation in Sochi with violations of human rights, to the pressure on ecologists, human rights activists, and journalists.
