Political activism
FILE - Britain's Katie Ormerod competes during the women's slopestyle qualifying at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
Winter Olympians champion climate, peace amid muted activism

By Kelvin Chan Feb. 15, 2022 03:06 AM EST

FILE - Human right groups gather on the United Nations international Human Rights Day, Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, to call for a boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 in front of the Bank of China building in Taipei, Taiwan. Human rights activists issued a call to action against the Beijing Olympics on Friday, Jan. 28, 2022 imploring athletes and sponsors to speak out against what they call the "genocide games." (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying, File)
Activists urge athletes to speak out at Beijing Olympics

Jan. 28, 2022 05:06 AM EST

Drew Pavlou, left, and Max Mok show some of the 1,000 shirts they plan to hand out to patrons ahead of Saturday's women's singles final at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Jan. 28, 2022. As he was being ejected for wearing a shirt with a Where is Peng Shuai? slogan, Max Mok saw an opportunity to amplify the message at the Australian Open. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)
Where is Peng Shuai? Australian Open T-shirts grab attention

By John Pye Jan. 28, 2022 12:24 AM EST

FILE - A woman holds up a ligt candle and a phone showing the image of the 1989 tank man protester during a candle vigil to mark the anniversary of the military crackdown on a pro-democracy student movement in Beijing, outside Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Friday, June 4, 2021. As Beijing prepares to hold the Winter Olympics opening in February 2022, China's president and party leader Xi Jinping appears firmly in control. The party has made political stability paramount and says that has been the foundation for the economic growth that has bettered lives and put the nation on a path to becoming a regional if not global power. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)
From Tiananmen to Hong Kong, China's crackdowns defy critics

By Ken Moritsugu Jan. 27, 2022 12:20 AM EST

A man gets a throat swab for the COVID-19 test at a mobile coronavirus testing facility a residential area in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. With just over two weeks before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, residents of the Chinese capital say they’re disappointed at not being able to attend events because of coronavirus restrictions that have seen parts of the city placed under lockdown. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Beijing residents disappointed Olympics will be closed event

Jan. 19, 2022 04:12 AM EST

Student activists wear masks with the colors of the pro-independence East Turkistan flag during a rally to protest the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, outside the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. Dozens of students staged the rally demanding the cancellation of the Beijing Olympics over alleged human rights violations against Muslim Uyghur ethnic minority in China's region of Xinjiang. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Olympic athletes urged by activists not to criticize China

By Graham Dunbar Jan. 18, 2022 11:56 AM EST

Protesters hold Tibetan flags during a protest against Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics by activists of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. (Jean-Guy Python/Keystone via AP)
Olympic leaders criticize FIFA as activists target meeting

By Graham Dunbar Dec. 11, 2021 10:12 AM EST

A visitor to the Shougang Park walks past the logos for the Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. China on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 threatened to take "firm countermeasures" if the U.S. proceeds with a diplomatic boycott of February's Beijing Winter Olympic Games. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
US plans diplomatic boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

By Aamer Madhani And Alexandra Jaffe Dec. 06, 2021 12:22 PM EST

The Olympic Flame burns at the cauldron in front of ancient Parthenon temple atop of the Acropolis hill in Athens, Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. The flame will be transported by torch relay to Beijing, China, which will host the Feb. 4-20, 2022 Winter Olympics.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Rights activists urge boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics

By Nicholas Paphitis Oct. 19, 2021 03:45 AM EDT

Greek actress Xanthi Georgiou, right, playing the role of the High Priestess, holds the torch during the lighting of the Olympic flame at Ancient Olympia site, birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southwestern Greece, Monday, Oct. 18, 2021. The flame will be transported by torch relay to Beijing, China, which will host the Feb. 4-20, 2022 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Protestors disrupt flame lighting for Beijing Winter Games

By Nicholas Paphitis And Thanassis Stavrakis Oct. 18, 2021 05:37 AM EDT

Actresses perform during the final rehearsal for the lighting of the Olympic flame at Ancient Olympia site, birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southwestern Greece, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. The flame will be transported by torch relay to Beijing, China, which will host the Feb. 4-20, 2022 Winter Olympics. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Weather, protest cloud Beijing flame-lighting rehearsal

By Nicholas Paphitis Oct. 17, 2021 07:03 AM EDT

Protesters raise a Tibetan flag and a banner from scaffolding at the Acropolis hill, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021. Three people attempted to hang a banner from the Acropolis in Athens Sunday morning in protest at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics but were arrested before completing their mission. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis)
2 arrested in Athens for protesting Beijing Olympics

By Demetris Nellas Oct. 17, 2021 04:38 AM EDT

FILE In this file pool photo taken on Saturday, April 4, 2020, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko takes part in a hockey match during Republican amateur competitions in Minsk, Belarus. A feud between Belarusian Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya and team officials that prompted her to seek refuge in Poland has again cast a spotlight on the repressive environment in the ex-Soviet nation, where authorities have unleashed a relentless crackdown on dissent. (Andrei Pokumeiko/BelTA Pool Photo via AP, File)
EXPLAINER: What is behind Belarus athlete's Olympics crisis?

By Yuras Karmanau And Vladimir Isachenkov Aug. 04, 2021 03:47 AM EDT

In this image made from video provided by NTV, Belarus Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya enters the Polish embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021. Tsimanouskaya plans to seek asylum in Poland, an activist group said Monday, after the athlete alleged that her team’s officials tried to force her to fly home, where she feared she wouldn’t be safe from an autocratic government that recently was accused of diverting a plane in order to arrest a dissident journalist. (NTV via AP)
Poland grants visa to Belarus Olympian who fears for safety

By Graham Dunbar Aug. 02, 2021 05:08 AM EDT

Activists: Belarusian sprinter seeking visa at Polish embassy in Tokyo after alleging officials tried to force her home

Aug. 02, 2021 05:02 AM EDT
TOKYO (AP) — Activists: Belarusian sprinter seeking visa at Polish embassy in Tokyo after alleging officials tried to force her home. ...

FILE - In this June 26, 2021, file photo, Gwendolyn Berry her Activist Athlete T-shirt over her head during the metal ceremony after the finals of the women's hammer throw at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore. Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Berry are among the more than 150 educators, activists and athletes who signed a letter Thursday, July 22, urging the IOC not to punish participants who demonstrate at the Tokyo Games. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)
Smith, Carlos, Berry demand change in Olympic protest rule

By Eddie Pells Jul. 22, 2021 10:50 AM EDT

Nizar Banat, an outspoken of the Palestinian Authority, speaks to journalists at the family house, in the West Bank city of Hebron, May 4, 2021. Banat who had intended to run in parliamentary elections before they were cancelled earlier this year died during his arrest by Palestinian Authority forces early Thursday, June 24, 2021, officials said. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Critic of Palestinian Authority dies after violent arrest

By Joseph Krauss Jun. 24, 2021 02:37 AM EDT

FILE - In this Sept. 10, 2017 file photo, prominent Palestinian activist Issa Amro speaks after his release from detention, in the West Bank city of Hebron. The Palestinian Authority detained a prominent activist on Monday, June 21, 2021, and held him overnight after he criticized its policies in a series of online posts and accused it of detaining another individual for political reasons. He was released Tuesday, but told to return Wednesday, when he could be charged. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi, File)
Palestinian Authority arrests activist over online criticism

Jun. 22, 2021 10:24 AM EDT

FILE - In this Oct. 24, 2018, photo, Ammon Bundy poses for a photo in Emmett, Idaho. On Saturday, June 19, 2021, anti-government activist Bundy came out with his first video announcing his campaign to become governor of Idaho. (Kelsey Grey/Idaho Statesman via AP)
Anti-government activist Bundy issues Idaho campaign videos

By The Associated Press Jun. 19, 2021 10:23 PM EDT

A woman walks through an exhibition by American artist and filmmaker Laura Poitras, near the art work "Anarchist" by Laura Poitras in collaboration with Henrik Moltke, at the N.K.B. gallery in Berlin, Germany, on Friday, June 18, 2021. The exhibition by Poitras, known for her award-winning 2014 documentary on former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, is on display at the gallery until Aug. 8, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
NSA to NSO: NY filmmakers explore circles of surveillance

By Frank Jordans Jun. 18, 2021 11:01 AM EDT