Brussels: In continuation of his visit, Dhondup Wangchen, on Thursday met with officials of the Belgian Foreign Ministry. In his presentation, the human rights defender highlighted the continued plight of the Tibetan people under Chinese Communist regime. A regime, that not only entirely disregards international norms but also violates its own constitution, which guarantees fundamental freedoms to Tibetan people.
He said the Chinese authorities have turned Tibet into a large open-air prison and its inhabitants the prisoners. The crackdown on the promotion of Tibetan language, culture and religion seriously threaten the distinct identity. Therefore, in the run-up to the EU-China Summit and the EU-China human rights dialogue both of which are expected to take place in April, Dhondup urged Belgium to keep Tibet high on their agenda.
On Friday, Dhondup met with representatives of various international NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Protection International, UNPO, Protect Defenders, and International Campaign for Tibet that helped campaign for his release. He thanked them for the support extended not only to him but also to all human rights defenders and reiterated the importance to give focused attention to them. He also suggested providing human rights defenders with tailored training and capacity building.
The representatives of the NGOs were very inspired by Dhondup’s testimony and actively engaged in the discussion that followed.
He will also take part in the fourth edition of the European Rally for Tibet to commemorate the 60th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day on 10 March in Brussels and continue his European tour.