Brussels: Today European Parliament has passed an urgent resolution on the cases of Larung Gar Tibetan Buddhist Academy and Ilham Tohti at the plenary in Strasbourg, France. click here
The resolution was proposed by the major political groups of the European Parliament namely the European People’s Party (EPP), European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), Europe for Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD), the Greens/European Free Alliance and supported by the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).
The Resolution is in three parts, the first part with fourteen clauses with eleven specific references to Tibetan issue and Larung Gar, the second and third with thirteen points each with ten specific references each to Tibet and Larung Gar and the rest three each to East Turkistan and Ilham Tohti. Out of forty clauses of the resolution, thirty-one address the issue of Tibet and Larung Gar.
Among others, the resolution recalls various previous resolutions on Tibet and series of statements and diplomatic demarche with China during EU-China Summits and condemns the demolition of Larung Gar and calls on Chinese authorities to resume dialogue with Tibetan Representatives which was ended by China in 2010.
Among the many MEPs who sponsored the resolution, the following MEPs; Christian Dan Preda, Elmar Brok, Thomas Mann, Tunne Kelam, Csaba Sogor, Ana Gomes, Molly Scott-Cato, Afzal Khan, Laszlo Tokes, Nathalie Griesbeck, Fabio Massimo Castaldo have either met with His Holiness the Dalai Lama during his recent visit or they have been met by the Representative and EU Advocacy Officer of Office of Tibet, Brussels, in the recent times. The Assistants Group for Tibet in the European Parliament has immensely contributed in the success of this resolution. Click here to view the full resolution.
The Resolution is an outcome of the urgent and rigorous EU Advocacy by the Office recently and unlike other resolutions this has been adopted by the Parliament in view of the urgency of the cases.
The last EP resolution on Tibet was passed in 2012.
– Report filed by Office of Tibet, Brussels –
Closing remarks by Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis on behalf of the EU
Ms. President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament, the European Union is concerned about the deterioration of human rights in China, not least with regard to the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in Tibet and Xinjiang.
The European Union upholds its “One-China” policy while regularly calling upon the Chinese authorities to address the concerns of Tibetans and Uyghurs through dialogue. This includes non-use of force, allowing peacefully protests, and respecting human rights.
The European Union has continued to emphasize to China the importance of fostering dialogue with and between different ethnic groups, and in the case of Tibet, of resuming a meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s representatives.
The demolitions at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy, the expulsion and so-called patriotic re-education of monastic individuals are a matter of considerable concern to us. According to the Chinese authorities, the demolitions are for health and safety reasons; however, the religious leaders and the monks and nuns concerned were not consulted. The lack of information, dialogue, and the restrictions of access to Larung Gar and on the movement of nuns and monks in the area has been causing much distress in the community and have even prompted suicides. The European Union underlines that while safety and health concerns may be legitimate, they should not be used as a pretext of repression or forced displacement of religious adherents.
And what about Ilham Tohti? Professor Tohti worked peacefully within Chinese laws to promote equality and understanding between different ethnic groups. The European Union believes the charges against him were unwarranted and that the due process of law was not respected during his trial, especially regarding his right to a proper defense. The European Union considers his life sentence for separatism to be completely unjustified. We call for the immediate and unconditional release, both of professor Tohti himself and the students detained in connection We urge the Chinese authorities to respect the rights to freedom of expression, religion and belief of all persons belonging to minorities, in line with Chinese international human rights commitments and its own constitution.
Thank you for your attention.”