DHARAMSHALA,India: In light of the recent and devastating wave of self immolation protests in Tibet, the European Parliament on 27 October 2011 adopted a resolution on Tibet in which it expressed its deep concern on the recent self-immolations of Tibetan Buddhist monks and one nun in Ngaba, Tibet and condemned the continued crackdown by Chinese authorities on Tibetan monasteries and sentencing of the Kirti monks without fair trial.
In the resolution, the European Parliament urged the Chinese authorities to lift restrictions and heavy-handed security measures imposed on Kirti monastery and to be accountable for the status of the Tibetans who survived self-immolation and to provide complete details on the status of those detained after March 16, 2011, including the 300 monks forcibly taken from the monastery and proceed to their immediate release. It also urged the Chinese authorities to allow independent international media and human rights monitors to visit the area.
The European Parliament called on the government of the People’s Republic of China to respect rights of the Tibetans in all its provinces and to take proactive steps to resolve their underlying grievances.
Furthermore, the European Parliament called on the Chinese authorities to cease promoting policies threatening the Tibetan language, culture, religion, heritage and environment and to suspend and review religious control and security policies implemented in Ngaba since 2008, and to open a transparent dialogue with the leaders of the Tibetan Buddhist schools.
It then called on the European Union and its Member states to call on the Chinese authorities to resume dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and his representatives.
The European Parliament called on the European External Action Services (EEAS) and the EU delegation in China to continue raising concrete individual cases of Tibetans imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of religious freedom in meetings and correspondence with Chinese officials, and to present a report to the EP within the next twelve months, suggesting actions or policies to implement.
The European Parliament reiterated its call on the Council to appoint a EU Special Representative for Tibet and felt the need for the rights ofChina’s minority communities to be put on the agenda for future rounds of EU-China human rights dialogue.
Lastly the European Parliament called on the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy and President of the Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso as well as the EU leaders who are members of the G20 to urge President Hu Jintao to address the human rights situation inTibetat the upcoming G20 summit on 3-4 November 2011 in Cannes, France.
