File photo of Tibet Interest Group (TIG) meeting in the European Parliament.

Brussels: 32 members of the European Parliament have urged the European Commission to call upon China to release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima without any conditions. In their joint letter to the Foreign Affairs Chief of the European Commission, Mr Josep Borrel, the MEPs recalled the recurring human rights violations by China in Tibet. His continued disappearance exemplified the repressive rule of China, it said.

The campaign is led by MEP Mikulas Peksa, President of Tibet Interest Group (TIG), in the European Parliament. The Office of Tibet, Brussels has been doing serious virtual mobilisation on the occasion of 25th Anniversary of Panchen Lama’s disappearance in May 1995. Tomorrow it will be his 31st birthday as well. Undaunted by the global lockdown due to the COVID 19, this campaign by the Central Tibetan Administration,  astutely draws the interest of the world. If a lockdown for some weeks is so debilitating today, how would one disregard the disappearance of a young person for 25 years!

It may be recalled here that early this month, Mr Samuel Cogolati, member of Belgian Federal Parliament released a strong statement too. In his March 8 statement, he urged the Belgian Government to call upon to China to release Panchen without any conditions. He also asked Belgian Foreign Minister, Mr Phillipe Goffin, to state the Belgian position on the disappearance of Panchen Lama.

We shall look forward to the response from Belgian Foreign Minister and of the European Commission Foreign Affairs High Representative on the issue of Panchen Lama.

We would like to reproduce, for the benefit of the reader, the full text of the TIG letter and name of the signatories.

-Filed by Office of Tibet, Brussels