Activists urge athletes to speak out at Beijing Olympics

BEIJING (AP) — Human rights activists have issued a call to action against the Beijing Olympics, imploring athletes and sponsors to speak out against what they call the “genocide games.” Organized by the rights group Human Rights Watch, activists representing Chinese dissidents and the minority Uyghur and Tibetan populations all urged athletes to condemn the Games. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has said the Olympics should not be politicized. Yet, the competition is already facing a diplomatic boycott led by the U.S., whose relationship with China has nosedived in the past few years.