HUMAN rights groups yesterday welcomed Steven Spielberg's decision to withdraw from his role in this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing.
The film director stepped down as artistic adviser over China's lack of progress in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, saying his conscience would "not allow me to continue with business as usual".
China has given staunch economic and di
plomatic support to the Sudanese government in recent years.
More than 200,000 people are thought to have been killed and a further 2.5 million forced from their homes in the five-year conflict between Sudan's Arab-dominated government and Darfur's ethnic African rebels.
The organisation Human Rights Watch welcomed Spielberg's decision, and said it should inspire others to press China into action.
"Olympic corporate sponsors are putting their reputations at risk unless they work to convince the Chinese government to uphold the human rights pledges it made to bring the Games to Beijing," said Minky Worden, media director at Human Rights Watch.
The Aegis Trust, which campaigns to prevent genocide around the world, said China's own experience of massacre at Nanking 70 years ago should move them to act on Darfur.
Dr James Smith, the trust's chief executive, added: "No-one's calling for a boycott of the Games; it would be great to see them go ahead as a real celebration of China's remarkable development in recent years. But politics will continue to intrude on other spheres unless China grasps the nettle and leans on Khartoum."
Sudanese rebels also praised Spielberg's decision.
Abdel-Wahid al-Nur, the leader of the Sudan Liberation Movement, said: "This is a noble move. He will certainly go down in history as someone who gave human lives precedence over fame and money."
But last night actress Uma Thurman said Spielberg's gesture does not go far enough and called for further protest against China's "appalling" human rights record in Tibet.
She said: "Although there is so much good in China and in the Chinese people, the human rights record of the Chinese government is appalling.
"I think Steven Spielberg could have written a longer list."
The Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Ed Davey said Spielberg was right to criticise China's record in Sudan, and called on the British government to do more.
Spielberg's decision could lead others involved in the Games to reconsider their roles.
In a statement released to trade magazine Variety, the Oscar-winning director said: "I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue with business as usual.
"At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies but doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes in Darfur.
"Sudan's government bears the bulk of the responsibility for these ongoing crimes, but the international community, and particularly China, should be doing more. China's economic, military and diplomatic ties to the government of Sudan continue to provide it with the opportunity and obligation to press for change."
Andy Burnham, the Culture Secretary, said: "The power of the Olympic Games is that it does bring people together and it does allow issues of global concern – Darfur is certainly one of those – to be addressed."
The full article contains 537 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
