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Athletes Appeal to Hu in letter for peaceful Tibet solution

Thursday, 7 August 2008, 2:23 p.m.
Dharamshala: A total of 127 athletes, including high-profile athletes, such as Croatian high jumper Blanka Vlasic and 110m hurdles world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba, have appealed to China's President Hu Jintao to find a peaceful solution for the issue of Tibet and improve the human rights situation in China.

Sports for Peace: Crotian high jumper and current world champion, Blanka Vlasic, joins a galaxy of athletes to urge China's President Hu Jintao to seek a peaceful solution for the issue of Tibet and improve the human rights situation in China/File Photo

The athletes urged President Hu "to protect freedom of expression, freedom of religion and freedom of opinion in your country, including Tibet," according to a letter posted online on Wednesday.

The letter was based on an initiative called "Sports for Peace."

The web page containing the open letter said the initative took place in cooperation with International Campaign for Tibet and Amnesty International.

The athletes also urged Hu "to ensure that human rights defenders are no longer intimidated or imprisoned" and to end the death penalty.

"China is the focus of worldwide attention," the athletes said in their brief statement.

"Your decision on these issues will determine the success of the Olympic Games and the image the world will have of China in the future," they added.

"We are asking you to respect human rights in China in order to achieve lasting peace and reconciliation."


--Editing by Lobsang CHOEDAK

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