Several other European countries have also threatened to boycott the major international sporting event if they don’t see human rights improvements in China soon.
Norway has been criticized by both its citizens and outsiders, who say its image and role as a champion of human rights means it should protest against China’s failure to make good on promises to improve human rights ahead of hosting the Olympic games.
Two leading dissidents in China have recently been arrested and sentenced to lengthy jail terms, in addition to a military crackdown on protesters in Tibet that has provoked international outrage.
Amnesty International has just released a scathing report accusing China of more abuse than ever in the human rights arena, increasing pressure on the international community to react.
Politicians speak out
Norwegian media reports now indicate that a number of top politicians have been convinced to take action.
The Conservative (Høyre) Party’s vice-spokesman for culture and politics, Olemic Thommessen, told Nowegian Broadcasting (NRK) that if the Chinese tactics did not improve, an absence of Norwegian authorities from the Beijing opening ceremony would be "a very likely scenario".
The Liberal (Venstre) Party’s vice-president, Trine Skei Grande, also said a boycott could be necessary if the situation doesn’t improve in China.
Culture Minister Trond Giske said earlier that he would skip the opening ceremony in response to recent events in Tibet.
Other politicians have also reportedly voiced their dismay with the Chinese human rights record.
In addition, it now appears uncertain whether or not the Norwegian royal family will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic games on August 8th. The earlier word from the palace was that the royal family had no plans to stay away from the games, but NRK reports that the spokesman for the royals said: "The king and queen will follow the [Norwegian] authorities' recommendations on the matter."Meanwhile, Norway’s representative on the International Olympics Committee (IOC), Gerhard Heiberg, didn’t want to comment on the matter after the Amnesty report was released, although he admitted that the committee wields a great deal of influence on Chinese authorities.
Heiberg was scheduled to visit China on April 7th, and hoped to get a better idea of the situation there before making any conclusions.
The Chinese continue to dismiss the negative reports and international criticism.
