PEOPLE & POWER
The 2014 Sochi Olympics
Photographs by Brent Stirton/Reportage by Getty Images for Human Rights Watch
migrants and construction
The rapid transformation of Sochi from a small resort town to international Olympic host has been made possible by an accelerated construction schedule and the efforts of at least 70,000 workers, including tens of thousands of migrant workers from outside of Russia. Some migrant workers employed on major Olympic venues—including the Central …
Read more »
forced evictions
The Russian government is resettling some 2,000 families to make way for Olympic venues and infrastructure. In several striking cases the government forcibly evicted families and demolished their homes without providing any compensation. Most families whose homes were destroyed received monetary compensation or resettlement …
Read more »
“Europe's largest
construction project”
construction project”
— The Wall Street Journal
environment
and health
and health
Environmental experts and scientists have warned that the preparation for the Sochi Olympics could have a profoundly negative impact on Sochi's unique environment, with heavy construction inside the Sochi National Park and a new 48-kilometer combined railway and motor road along the Mzymta River. Although the Russian …
Read more »
civil society
The environment for independent and critical voices in Sochi is stifling. Activists and residents, who protest peacefully or speak openly about Olympics-related concerns such as the process of property expropriation and environmental issues, risk attacks, threats, and intimidation by the authorities. Despite the requirement …
Read more »
