Barcelona: Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the democratically elected leader of the Tibetan people, delivered powerful testimony before an extraordinary hearing of the Commission of Foreign Affairs in the Catalan Parliament on Friday, setting the tone for his overarching advocacy efforts across Europe over the recent past.  

During the hearing chaired by MP Francesc de Dalmases, member of the Commission of Foreign Affairs representing the Junts party, Sikyong highlighted a stark picture of the prevailing situation in Tibet, emphasising the wave of self-immolations that has seen 157 Tibetans sacrifice their lives in protest. Many of these Tibetans, he noted, had never witnessed a free Tibet, having been born after the Chinese occupation, yet were driven to such drastic measures by the severe oppression under Chinese rule.  

Sikyong Penpa Tsering also advocated the historical context to the culmination of the Middle Way Policy, envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a means to finding a middle ground between the two opposing positions: the current status quo under PRC’s brutal occupation and the historical status of Tibet as an independent nation. 

Sikyong further discussed the Resolve Tibet Act, a law adopted by the US government recognising the Sino-Tibet conflict as yet an unresolved conflict while countering the PRC’s disinformation on Tibet’s historical status.  

Among his key recommendations, Sikyong called upon the commission to consider adopting a resolution on the issue of the reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, aligning with the US position on the issue. 

The hearing saw attendance from several prominent MPs representing leading political parties, including MP Ennatu Domingo, MP Agustí Colomines from Junts per Catalunya, MP Anna Balsera from Izquierda Republicana, and MP Andrés García Berrio from the Commons party. Also present were Representative Rigzin Choedon from the Office of Tibet Brussels, Chithue Ven. Thupten Wangchen, local Tibetan community representative Sangay and longtime Tibet supporter Javier Nogue Begue. 

Earlier in the day, Sikyong Tsering was received by Parliament President Josep Rull and Parliamentary board members Glòria Freixa i Vilardell and Juli Fernandez Olivares.  

Over the hourlong meeting, Sikyong discussed the Tibetan people’s commitment to strategic nonviolent movement in the pursuit of freedom in Tibet, the seed for which was sown by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the early years of Tibetan exile. President Rull, in his remarks, honoured the courage and determination of the Tibetan people and expressed solidarity with the deteriorating human rights situation in China-occupied Tibet.  

Sikyong-led Tibetan delegation, accompanied by the president and the parliamentary board members, was then hosted in the Catalonia parliamentary house on a guided tour. 

Following the parliamentary proceedings, Sikyong Penpa Tsering next visited the Blanquerna University for a special talk on the human rights situation in Tibet. The session, hosted by International Relations Degree Director Onno Seroo, drew an impressive turnout of students from international relations, law and across disciplines, along with professors and heads of global organisations. 

The interactive session discussed Tibet’s historical status, current situation under Chinese occupation, and the Central Tibetan Administration’s vision for future dialogue with the PRC government, with particular focus on the relevance of Tibet’s nonviolent movement in today’s geo-political environment. 

During this visit, Sikyong Tsering also granted an interview to prominent local newspaper El Periodico.  

This marked his second official visit to Barcelona, following his previous trip in November 2023. On the evening of his arrival Thursday, Sikyong delivered a two-hour discourse on Tibet’s geopolitical significance at Casa Del Tibet Barcelona as part of their 30th anniversary celebrations themed “All Cycle of Human Rights & Tibet Festival”, taking place from 10nto 16 November.