{"id":20419,"date":"2024-08-27T11:10:01","date_gmt":"2024-08-27T15:10:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/?p=20419"},"modified":"2024-09-10T11:13:06","modified_gmt":"2024-09-10T15:13:06","slug":"oregon-sen-merkley-raises-concerns-over-reported-nba-ties-to-rwandan-dictatorship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.merkley.senate.gov\/es\/oregon-sen-merkley-raises-concerns-over-reported-nba-ties-to-rwandan-dictatorship\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon Sen. Merkley raises concerns over reported NBA ties to Rwandan dictatorship"},"content":{"rendered":"

KOIN<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley sent a letter to National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday, raising concerns over the organization\u2019s reported ties to dictators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the letter, which was obtained by KOIN 6 News, Sen. Merkley and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) expressed \u201cdeep concern\u201d over the NBA\u2019s growing relationship with Rwanda and its President Paul Kagame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt seems that the NBA \u2013 which has long positioned itself as a beacon of social justice \u2013 is choosing to continue developing relationships with dictators and despots, all in the name of putting profit over principle,\u201d the senators wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Citing reporting from ESPN<\/a><\/strong>, the lawmakers said the NBA\u2019s relationship with the Rwandan president began in 2018 as Commissioner Silver \u201cshot free throws\u201d with the president in Kigali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merkley and Blackburn state that the NBA also gave Kagame advice and \u201csupport\u201d on building a massive $104 million arena to establish the Basketball Africa League, expanding the NBA\u2019s presence in the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senators stated in their letter that the NBA\u2019s presence in Africa was valued at nearly $1 billion as of 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe relationship does not stop there; the NBA has hosted President Kagame in Toronto, Los Angeles, Charlotte, Oakland, and at various other NBA sponsored events across North America, treating him like a friend and dignitary,\u201d the senators wrote. \u201cThe league profits from this relationship, but at what cost?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the senators, Kagame has ruled Rwanda for more than 20 years \u201cwith impunity,\u201d noting freedom of expression and internet freedom are extremely limited in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnyone who dares question Kagame\u2019s rule \u2013 whether it be opposition candidates or the free press \u2013 is jailed, disappeared, or brutally assassinated,\u201d the senators said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawmakers also claimed Kagame has provided military support to M23, a rebel group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has led tens of thousands of Congolese people to flee their homes in fear as the group has been accused of recruiting child soldiers, torturing civilians and using sexual violence as a weapon of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merkley and Blackburn added that the Rwandan government is known for murdering and kidnapping dissidents living overseas, including people in the United States, noting, \u201cThe NBA should not remain silent as Kagame exports his authoritarianism.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their concerns extend beyond Rwanda. According to the senators, the NBA has also engaged with Chinese Communist Party officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senators concluded by asking the NBA to outline its relationship with the NBA, how the NBA is helping the Rwandan people and its relationship with China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlaying ball with dictators and brutal regimes should not be the NBA\u2019s business model. Instead, the league should use its influence to advocate for governance reforms, including respect for the rule of law. The NBA should also put energy into making life better for all Rwandans, not just those who finance the league\u2019s expansion. At no time\u2014and especially when strongmen are on the rise across the globe\u2014should the NBA ignore human rights atrocities in the name of profit,\u201d the senators said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

KOIN 6 News reached out to the NBA. This story will be updated if we receive a response.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KOIN Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley sent a letter to National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver on Tuesday, raising concerns over the organization\u2019s reported ties to dictators. In the letter, which was obtained by KOIN 6 News, Sen. Merkley and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) expressed \u201cdeep concern\u201d over the NBA\u2019s growing relationship with Rwanda and its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOregon Sen. 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