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| April 16, 2008 |
By MEI FONG
April 16, 2008 11:14 a.m.
BEIJING -- The activist group Dream for Darfur is trying to step up pressure on the International Olympic Committee ahead of the Beijing Games, criticizing the sports organization for failing to speak out on the violence in Darfur.
At a news conference Wednesday morning in New York, the group, led by actress Mia Farrow, gave the IOC a grade of "F" for its "silence" on Darfur, where Sudanese government forces have been fighting with rebels.
The IOC has faced mounting pressure from activist groups intent on drawing attention to their causes in the run-up to the Games. And its publicity woes have mounted since unrest began in Tibet in March.
Demonstrators, many angry at Chinese government efforts to suppress the at-times violent protests by Tibetans, disrupted the Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco. More protests are expected Thursday when the torch passes through New Delhi. India is home to a large Tibetan community.
In the case of Darfur, activists wanted the IOC to write to the United Nations Security Council to ask it to implement Resolution 1769, passed last year, which authorizes deployment of troops and civilian police in the region.
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said the IOC felt such a move "inappropriate," because "we don't believe it is the IOC's role to dictate policies."' While Darfur is "clearly a tragic situation," it "should be handled under the U.N. framework," she said. Ms. Davies said that the IOC had discussed the issue with top-tier sponsors, and "they agreed with us."
Jacques Rogge, IOC president, has said he has told human-rights activists, including the Darfur group, that the IOC "cannot do everything in the world" and that it isn't equipped "to work in your place" in efforts to solve political problems.
The IOC, based in Lausanne, Switzerland, has been criticized for its 2001 decision to grant this year's Games to Beijing by advocacy groups that blame China for human-rights abuses and for supporting Sudan and other harsh military regimes.
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An internal IOC memo that has been viewed by The Wall Street Journal indicates that IOC staff members worry the situation could get worse in coming months. The memo details responses that IOC officials can give in the case of "extreme" situations, such as deaths resulting from protests in China.
Dream for Darfur said, "Shamefully, the IOC's record to date in regard to Darfur has been silence." The group asserted that, despite the IOC's desire to keep sports and politics separate, "silence, too, is a political gesture."
Last November, the Darfur group released its first report grading 19 Olympic sponsors for their responsiveness to the Darfur issue, for example, donating money to aid for Sudan or lobbying the U.N. or IOC or respective embassies to address the issue. Some sponsors, such as General Electric Co., fared marginally better than others, such as Samsung Group. A second report on sponsors is coming next week, the group said.