Commemorating the World Human Rights Day on 10 December, at the Tibet Square Park in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius was turned into a symbolic cemetery to remember Tibetans’ painful struggle for freedom and keep alive their culture and identity. Rows of placards were placed in the park bearing the name, age of all those Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives by setting themselves on fire.

One of the initiators of the campaign, Robert Mažeika, a spokesman for Tibet Support Group underscored the importance of constantly putting the spotlight on the issue of Tibet. He said the last few years in Tibet, which witnessed self-immolations protests by 124 Tibet from February 2009 – December 2013, was one of the most tragic in the history of Tibet. “As we commemorate the International Human Rights Day today, we want to honour the Tibetans who have sacrificed their lives for a brighter future of Tibet and freedom,” he said.



Speaking on the occasion, Dalia Kuodytė, president of the Parliamentary Relations with Tibet Group, noted that the Tibetan freedom struggle and history of Lithuania has a lot in common. “In 1953, the last Lithuanian partisan was killed and the armed resistance for Lithuanian freedom has finished. Some people in today’s independent Lithuania bold to say that they died needlessly… Today, we are gathered here to testify that sacrifice of The Great Heroes of Lithuanian history is important to us, and that their victims was not meaningless, as it is not meaningless very painful today’s Tibetan victims,” said D.Kuodyte.

According to members of parliament, this day we should not talk, but keep quiet think about the world in which we live, think what does meant for us by such values as human rights, freedom and life. “Our silence should scream. And maybe with our actions and words we will not reach to the big consciences, not make them to follow their values not just financial calculation, but I believe that what we do now is important for Tibet and its people as the support and solidarity,” D. Kuodyte said.


Vytis Vidūnas, a lecturer of Vilnius University and member of Tibet Support Group, noted that over the past few years, the situation in Tibet has deteriorated very sharply and getting worse every day, it witnessed unremitting acts of self-immolation by young Tibetans on Tibet future.


The death of one of our alter ego shock us, but we are swayed by tragic self-immolation of over hundred Tibetans. However, at the each table with name is a real life, a real man with personal story, the man who was able to develop the future of Tibet ( … ) . Over the more than 50 years of Tibet’s occupation by China, Tibetans have expressed their protest in a peaceful manner. It is becoming a painful rebuke to the conscience of democratic nations as a peaceful Tibetan resistance and even acts of self-immolation receives far less attention than violence and bloodshed in other countries. Therefore, it is desirable that the issue of Tibet is actually addressed and ensured the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be implemented (enforced) in all countries and to the East and to the West from our homeland, “said V.Vidunas.

The Chinese communist government ruled Tibet with heavy-handed measures over the last 60 years of its occupation. It resulted in the destruction of Tibetan temples and monasteries, exploitation of natural resources, and repression of Tibetans, including killings, torture, detentions and harassment. These acts violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other UN treaties.


The Chinese security forces have began brutal crackdown on Tibetans since wide spread protest by Tibetans shook Tibet in 2008. An increasing number of Tibetans have set themselves on fire to seek the international community’s intervention to ensure respect for Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights to preserve and promote their language, religion and culture.



It could be while you are reading these lines, in occupied Tibet a young monk or student exclaims: “Freedom for Tibet”, showering gasoline and light the match …

(This is English translation of the original article in Bernardinai.It)