Washington, Feb 3 (UNI) China must not try to censor American athletes attending the Winter Olympics in Beijing from condemning the communist regime’s “ongoing genocide” against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, said US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price. Addressing a briefing on Wednesday, Price said, “US athletes are entitled to express themselves freely in line with the spirit and charter of the Olympics, which includes advancing human rights.” He further said the US will not be having any official representation during the Olympics. He said, “We call on the PRC to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including that very freedom of expression. “We have also made clear we were not and are not coordinating a global campaign regarding participation in the Olympics. “We know that the PRC uses disinformation to veil ongoing genocide in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses. We know that the PRC has made various accusations, including against US athletes, and we know that’s what’s going on here.” This follows the directive by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) urging the Olympic athletes to leave their personal mobile phones at home and use burner phones at Olympics in Beijing. “The FBI urges all athletes to keep their personal cell phones at home and use a temporary phone while at the games. The National Olympic Committees in some Western countries are also advising their athletes to leave personal devices at home or use temporary phones due to cybersecurity concerns at the Games,” the agency said in a notice. Earlier, the intelligence officials had warned that China has created an advanced techno-surveillance state within its borders. “When we tally up what we see in our investigations, there is just no country that presents a broader threat to our ideas, our innovation, and our economic security than China,” said FBI Director Chris Wray on Monday.
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