Contact: Colin Mason, Population Research Institute, 540-622-5240 ext. 209

FRONT ROYAL, Va., July 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- Steven W. Mosher, well-known China expert, calls for a boycott of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, saying that the games will only serve to legitimize a one-party dictatorship that has a deplorable human rights record.

"The Olympics is intended to be a celebration of the human spirit," says Mosher. "But the spirit of the Chinese people, not to mention the spirit of the Tibetans and other minorities, is being crushed under the weight of an oppressive regime. We should no more celebrate the Olympics in China in 2008, than we should have celebrated the Olympics in Nazi-controlled Berlin in 1936."

Mosher reminds the world that China's rights record has not improved in recent years, rather, it has actually gotten worse. "China is one of the worst violators of human rights in the world," he explains. "Given the Chinese Communist Party bragging rights over the games makes a mockery of their meaning."

Mosher has formed the "Beijing Boycott Coalition" to oppose the Beijing Olympics. The coalition invites activists and groups of different backgrounds to join in protesting ongoing human rights violations in China by refusing to watch the games or patronize its sponsors.

All individuals and groups concerned about human rights, whether their issue is the suppression of journalism, the persecution of religious groups, or forced abortion, are welcome to join the coalition. The Beijing Boycott Coalition reaches across ideological boundaries to include all those who care deeply about human rights and the Chinese people, and want to send a message to the Beijing regime.

For more information about the coalition, or to sign up for its e-mails, visit www.beijingboycottcoalition.com.  

The Population Research Institute (PRI) was founded in 1989 by Fr. Paul Marx, OSB, PhD and is dedicated to: (1) ending human rights abuses committed in the name of "family planning", (2) opposing outdated social and economic paradigms premised on the myth of overpopulation, (3) informing the public about the social and economic benefits of moderate population growth, and (4) promoting pro-natal and pro-family attitudes and policies worldwide. Steven Mosher is the author of numerous books, including Population Control: Real Costs and Illusory Benefits.