Dharamshala: On the 30th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, Italian Senator Andrea De Priamo, President of the Italian Tibet Interparliamentary Group, has issued a strong statement urging the Chinese Government to release him and respect the fundamental rights of the Tibetan people.
On 17 May 1995, just days after being recognised by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, the six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was abducted by Chinese authorities along with his family. No credible information about their whereabouts has been made available since. Senator De Priamo noted that this case represents the longest-standing enforced disappearance in modern history and constitutes a serious, ongoing violation of international human rights and religious freedom.
“In place of the legitimate Panchen Lama, the Chinese government appointed a state-selected figure, lacking spiritual legitimacy and widely rejected by the Tibetan people, with the apparent aim of exerting political control over the future of Tibetan religious leadership,” Senator De Priamo stated.
In his appeal, Senator De Priamo called on the Chinese authorities to “disclose the whereabouts and well-being of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family, and to uphold the inalienable rights of the Tibetan people, including their right to religious and cultural self-determination.”
The Senator further urged “the international community, national governments, and human rights organisations to sustain and intensify diplomatic efforts and public advocacy on this issue. The cause of justice, human dignity, and religious freedom requires nothing less.”
