{"id":1208189,"date":"2022-01-11T13:34:47","date_gmt":"2022-01-11T18:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1208189"},"modified":"2022-01-11T13:34:53","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T18:34:53","slug":"u-s-olympic-figure-skater-timothy-leduc-condemns-horrifying-human-rights-abuses-by-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-olympic-figure-skater-timothy-leduc-condemns-horrifying-human-rights-abuses-by-china\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Olympic Figure Skater Timothy LeDuc Condemns &#039;Horrifying Human Rights Abuses&#039; by China"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fu-s-olympic-figure-skater-timothy-leduc-condemns-horrifying-human-rights-abuses-by-china%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1208189&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">American figure skater Timothy LeDuc condemned China\u2019s \u201chorrifying human rights abuses\u201d in remarks shortly after qualifying to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics this weekend, admitting to feeling \u201cpowerless\u201d about the situation amid calls to boycott the prestigious event.<\/p>\n<p>LeDuc <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/philadelphia\/beijing-2022-winter-olympics\/get-know-team-usa-newcomer-timothy-leduc\">qualified<\/a> on Sunday to participate in the figure skating pairs competition with partner&nbsp;Ashley Cain-Gribble, winning their contest at the U.S. Figure Skating Competition and cementing a place on the Olympic team. LeDuc is the first openly gay athlete to win the American pairs title and the first Olympian to identify as \u201cnon-binary,\u201d requesting the use of the pronoun \u201cthey\u201d when addressed.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Human rights activists and members of communities oppressed by the Chinese Communist Party have urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for over a year to reconsider granting hosting honors to China. Among the complaints against China are the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs in East Turkistan, the cultural genocides in Tibet and Southern Mongolia, the repression of people of faith who attempt to worship at home, the crackdown on pro-democracy voices in Hong Kong, and generalized violence against anyone suspected of disagreeing with the Communist Party.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19443178\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1296796966.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19443178\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1296796966-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc competing in the pairs free skate program during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Orleans Arena on January 16, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Tim Nwachukwu\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Uyghur Tribunal, an independent legal organization <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/12\/09\/tribunal-olympics-host-china-beyond-a-reasonable-doubt-guilty-of-genocide\/\">tasked<\/a> with studying evidence of genocide in East Turkistan, ruled in December that China was \u201cbeyond a reasonable doubt\u201d guilty of the crime, citing evidence of the use of concentration camps to exterminate Uyghur people and widespread forced sterilization, abortion, and infanticide. Both the administrations of Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden have declared the acts against the Uyghur people a genocide.<\/p>\n<p>LeDuc <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/olympics\/2022\/01\/09\/timothy-leduc-china-human-rights-abuses-horrifying-olympics\/9150013002\/\">told<\/a> reporters on Sunday that he actively affirmed his belief that China is engaging in \u201chorrific\u201d human rights crimes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cWhat I can say is we absolutely acknowledge the horrifying things that we\u2019ve seen happening to the Uyghurs. I read somewhere the other day that it\u2019s the largest number of people held in internment and labor camps since World War II,\u201d LeDuc said. \u201cI mean, these are horrifying human rights abuses that we\u2019re seeing happening. And it can feel very powerless when you read those things, because you think, \u2018What can I do?&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly dismissed criticism of the country hosting the Olympics as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/12\/14\/china-celebrates-supporting-genocide-olympics-is-mainstream\/\">niche<\/a> conspiracy by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globaltimes.cn\/page\/202112\/1243312.shtml\">right-wing<\/a> \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/entertainment\/2021\/11\/09\/nbc-wont-say-if-it-will-acknowledge-chinas-human-rights-atrocities-during-beijing-winter-olympics\/\">extremists<\/a>\u201d seeking to defame China. LeDuc soundly fails to fit that description, however, as both the first opnely non-binary Olympian and the supporter of several prominent socialist causes, as he detailed during the same remarks condemning the Uyghur genocide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cI think we\u2019re all probably people that believe human rights are for everyone. We all should have access to the same rights,\u201d LeDuc continued.&nbsp;\u201cSo I see human rights being violated here, in my country. I see trans people fighting for human rights. I believe that healthcare is a human right, and I see access to healthcare being denied. I believe abortion is healthcare, and access to abortion is a human right.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">There&#8217;s a reason why the world is uniting to boycott the Communist Chinese Genocide Olympics. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cUBW8wl5Vn\">https:\/\/t.co\/cUBW8wl5Vn<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BreitbartNews\/status\/1432821109980815366?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 31, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">LeDuc went on to say that \u201cthose rights\u201d were \u201cunder attack\u201d in America and that situation was something \u201cwe have control\u201d of by voting, as opposed to the situation in China.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">LeDuc concluded that this did not mean that using a public platform to defend human rights in China was necessarily impossible.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">\u201cSo often, state and local governments are the ones who are restricting those rights, and we all have a responsibility and the ability to vote in those elections, and elect people who are going to protect those human rights,\u201d LeDuc said. \u201cSo that\u2019s kind of how I think of it. I feel powerless sometimes, seeing the situation in China. I can use my voice here, yes. But what I can do here to defend human rights is be sure that I am vigilant and vote for the people in my local communities and state and local elections to defend human rights here as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Defenders of participating in the Beijing Olympics \u2013 which include prominent Republicans like Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/politics\/2021\/12\/27\/ted-cruz-boycotting-olympics-china-would-punish-athletes\/\">Ted Cruz<\/a> (R-TX) and former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/12\/19\/trump-on-beijing-genocide-games-boycott-it-almost-makes-us-look-like-i-dont-know-sore-losers\/\">Trump<\/a> \u2013 suggest that not sending athletes into a volatile political situation (and increasingly dangerous coronavirus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/01\/05\/coronavirus-china-partially-locks-down-province-of-110-million-people\/\">outbreak<\/a>) would somehow \u201cpunish\u201d those athletes. Statements like LeDuc\u2019s, and those of a growing number of Olympians, suggest that the IOC\u2019s intransigence in keeping the Games in a rogue state is its own form of punishment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m really disgusted. I don\u2019t even want to be called an Olympian anymore,\u201d retired Canadian two-time Olympic snowboarder Drew Neilson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2021\/12\/22\/champion-snowboarder-backs-genocide-olympics-boycott-i-dont-even-want-to-be-called-an-olympian-anymore\/\">said<\/a> in December, referring to the Beijing Olympics. \u201cIt just boggles my mind that people can look away from what\u2019s going on in China, just so they can watch people play games for little pieces of metal.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_19443250\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1308949200.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-19443250\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/GettyImages-1308949200-1024x683-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"990\" height=\"660\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc of United States performs during Day One of the ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Ericsson Globe on March 24, 2021 in Stockholm, Sweden. (Linnea Rheborg\/Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Members of oppressed groups met with Olympians training in Minnesota this weekend to share a letter explaining their opposition to the Beijing Games. Some athletes took photos with the activists, most prominently snowboard champion Shaun White <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/01\/10\/u-s-olympian-shaun-white-poses-tibetan-flag-weeks-before-beijing-genocide-olympics\/\">posing<\/a> with a Tibetan flag. While no athletes offered statements, their mere presence in the same room as anti-communist activists may compromise their safety in Beijing and serves as defiance to both the Communist Party and the IOC.<\/p>\n<p>In White\u2019s case, for example, <a href=\"https:\/\/freetibet.org\/about\/flag\">possessing<\/a> a Tibetan flag in any capacity is a crime in China that he may face charges for.<\/p>\n<p>The&nbsp;Genocide Games Task Force, a coalition of anti-communist and human rights organizations, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.breitbart.com\/asia\/2022\/01\/10\/activists-urge-athletes-to-boycott-chinas-genocide-olympics-for-their-safety\/\">launched<\/a> a letter-writing and petition campaign this week urging athletes to reconsider participation in the Games, particularly on the grounds of potential dangers facing athletes upon arriving in the country.<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Frances Martel on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/francesimartel\/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1641649586431000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2qb7s_yht6bVIqM52HrsX1\">Facebook<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/twitter.com\/francesmartel&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1641649586431000&amp;usg=AOvVaw0TGxQie-dT9gk1AOJXZV6a\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American figure skater Timothy LeDuc condemned China\u2019s \u201chorrifying human rights abuses\u201d in remarks shortly after qualifying to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics this weekend, admitting to feeling \u201cpowerless\u201d about &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1208189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1208189"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1208189\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1208189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1208189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1208189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}