Keep The Box Empty campaign by Human Rights Foundation & Lantos Foundation. Urges Olympic Committee: Don’t Invite Dictators to the Opening Ceremonies

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice have identified 15 countries, based on several criteria, whose dictators deserve an “Empty Box” during the Opening Ceremonies of the #Tokyo Games: They are asking the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take action now and refuse to invite dictators to take part in the olympic games tokyo 2020’ Opening Ceremonies and Keep The Box Empty. Instead, they urge the IOC to leave their designated seating box or virtual room as an “Empty Box” as a signal to the world that these rulers do not embody the spirit of the #Olympics.

Would you please join us in urging the IOC to avoid conferring legitimacy on the authoritarian rulers of these countries by allowing them to share an equal platform with legitimate world leaders? Show the world that the Olympics truly are a platform for unity and social responsibility. Visit emptyboxseat.org to learn more about this campaign. Sign the petition at #KeepTheBoxEmpty

15 Notorious Dictators

These dictators and despots rule their countries without regard for democratic norms or human rights. Between them, they are responsible for the worst crimes against humanity happening today. This list was arrived at based on a combination of the Human Rights Foundation’s political regime classifications, a determination of countries with the highest number of Olympic athletes, and other troubling indicators, including lack of political rights and press freedoms.

Credits
Organisation: Human Rights Foundation & Lantos Foundation
Advertisement Type: Digital campaign
Campaign: Keep The Box Empty
Category: Public Interest