NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Lee issued a proclamation Friday afternoon decrying human rights abuses and "widespread crimes against humanity" in Western China following the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
The Winter Games are attracting global controversy as they spotlight the host China’s treatment of the Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in Xinjiang, the Associated Press reports.
The governor's proclamation declared the 17-day period the Winter Olympics formally take place as "a time of memorial for the victims of genocide in Xinjiang, China." In it, it accuses the International Olympic Committee of permitting the games to be "a cover for evil."
"The Olympics are covering for Beijing's brutality but Tennesseans acknowledge the truth, stand against the evil being carried out in plain sight and send our support to US Olympians overseas," Lee said.
In December, the Biden Administration similarly announced a diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics over human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
“U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC’s egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can’t do that,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.