Kenyan Nobel Peace laureate Wangari Maathai said on Friday she has pulled out of the Olympic torch relay this weekend in Tanzania to protest human rights abuses.
The torch has been met by major demonstrations on its relay around the world to the Beijing Games, with thousands of protesters angry at China’s human rights record, its harsh rule in Tibet and its friendly ties with Sudan.
”From the very beginning I thought the torch will be a symbol of unity, peace and harmony, but as it moved around the world it has become a symbol of disunity. Then I decided to pull out completely,” Maathai, an environmentalist who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, said on Friday.
The Beijing torch relay has turned into a public-relations disaster for Chinese organisers, who were hoping the event would be a good-natured lead-up to the long-anticipated August 8 to 24 Games.
Organisers are strengthening security around the remainder of the beleaguered Olympic torch relay.
Maathai said China should help defuse tensions in Darfur, Tibet and Burma.
”In all of these issues China can make a difference and that is what the world is urging them to do,” she said. — Sapa-AP