My people, the Uyghurs, an ethnic and predominantly Muslim minority, are victims of a genocide perpetrated by the Chinese regime for their cultural and ethnic identity. The IOC has decided to make themselves complicit in this genocide. They have condemned Uyghurs, Tibetans, Hong Kongers and more by refusing to respect basic human dignity. They put athletes at risk. They make it impossible to watch the Winter Games without engaging in complicity.

And we have seen that the sponsors of the Olympics have decided to press forward with their partnerships. These sponsors place profit over human lives. Broadcasters like NBC place profit over human lives. It is our duty now to make sure they feel the repercussions of their decisions by not watching these genocidal games.

I ask that you join me.

I have been an activist since my days as a student in my homeland. I took part in the campaigns protesting the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Today, I am doing my advocacy work at the cost of my own sister’s freedom. In September 2018, my sister, Dr. Gulshan Abbas, was taken by the Chinese regime in retaliation for my activism. Only in December of 2020 did my family learn she was secretly sentenced on false charges designed to give the regime impunity in punishing Uyghurs.