HRC Slams Sochi Protest Zones

“Given the Russian government’s history of strong-arm authoritarian tactics, the existence of a protest zone is ironically rich. Olympic athletes should be free to speak their minds about the heinous nature of these laws. You don’t stop being human when you become an Olympian. It tells you a lot about President Bach and the IOC’s commitment to human rights that they believe this issue should be easily compartmentalized into a protest zone. The fact that these laws exist is an outrage. The fact that the IOC believes they should be the subject of a protest zone is an even bigger outrage.” – Human Rights Campaign vice president Fred Sainz, speaking to Chris Geidner at Buzzfeed.