European politicians to skip Russian olympics due to human rights violations

European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding has refused to attend the Sochi Olympic Games 2014, scheduled to start on Feb. 7, 2014, due to alleged human rights violations, Russian news agency Infox reported, Dec. 11.

“I will certainly not go to Sochi as long as minorities are treated the way they are under the Russian legislation,” Reding wrote on her Twitter microblog.

French President Francois Hollande and a range of top French officials, together with German president Joachim Gauck, supported Reding’s decision.

The decision can be interpreted as a criticism of human rights violations and a protest against repression of the opposition in Russia, the Ukrainian analytical newspaper Mukola wrote.