European Parliament Passes Resolution on Trulku, Tibet
Dharamsala 19 November: A resolution calling for an immediate review of Trulku Tenzin Delek’s case and commuting of his death sentence was passed in the European Parliament yesterday. The resolution Click here for full text tabled by five different political groups came in the wake of increasing concern the world over about the Buddhist Lama’s reprieved death punishment which expires on 2 December.
While strongly condemning the execution of Trulku’s aide Lobsang Dhondup on 26 January last year, the European Parliament called on ‘the Chief Prosecutor of the Sichuan Provincial People’s procurate and the Governor of Sichuan Provincial People’s government to do their utmost to prevent execution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’.
The European Parliament expressed concerns over Trulku being reportedly held incommunicado and tortured for several moths. It resolved to urge the authorities to guarantee that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche will not be ill-treated in detention, ask for an immediate review of the case and calls on the Chinese authorities to do all in their power to establish that international human rights and humanitarian law standards are being respected and, in particular, to guarantee internationally recognised legal proceedings for persons arrested;
The resolution also called on the European Union and its Member States to urge the Government of People’s Republic of China to respect the religious rights and freedom of the Tibetan people in particular to prevent the execution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and to call for a new and fair trial.
The European Parliament also resolved to call on the Commission and the Council to express their concerns about Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s case during the forthcoming EU / China Summit.
A resolution on the cases of Trulku Tenzin Delek and late Lobsang Dhondup was passed in the same parliament on 19 December 2002.
Welcoming the release on parole of Ngawang Sangdrol and Takna Jigme Sangpo earlier, it resolved to urge the Chinese government to continue with prisoner releases.
Reiterating its call to the Council to appoint an EU Special Representative for Tibetan Affairs so as to contribute effectively to the peaceful resolution of the Tibet issue, it called on China to step up the ongoing dialogue with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to achieve a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of Tibet.