Dharamshala: On 12 November 2025, the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA), also known as The Article 18 Alliance, convened its fifth anniversary conference at the Prague Castle. Sikyong Penpa Tsering of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) attended the event and participated in the session titled “Tribute to the Dalai Lama as Religious Leader of Tibetan Buddhism.”
During the session, Sikyong formally presented a letter from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama to Ambassador Robert Rehak, Chair of IRFBA and Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Interfaith Dialogue, and Freedom of Religion or Belief.
Among the distinguished attendees were Honourable President Petr Pavel of the Czech Republic; Nazila Ghanea, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief; and Mubarak Bala, a recently released prisoner of conscience from Nigeria.
Also present at the conference were Representative Telo Tulku Rinpoche, the 13th Kyabje Kundeling Tatsak Rinpoche and other speakers, including Dr Natallia Vasilevich from Germany, Ambassador Samuel Brownback from the USA, Rushan Abbas, Executive Director of the Campaign for Uyghurs, USA.
In his address, Sikyong Penpa Tsering extended his greetings to all participants and expressed his gratitude to President Petr Pavel for recently visiting Ladakh and meeting with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in July 2025. Sikyong noted that the late President, Vaclav Havel, was the first sitting president outside India to meet with His Holiness in 1990, and that President Petr Pavel was the most recent head of state to do so.
Speaking in line with the core mission of IRFBA — to promote and protect the universal right to freedom of religion or belief, Sikyong highlighted the Chinese government’s systematic efforts to erase the identity of all minority communities, including Falun Gong practitioners, Uyghur Muslims, and Tibetan Buddhists, who continue to suffer under the PRC’s repressive and assimilative policies. He explained that the Chinese leadership believes that by eliminating minority identities, they can eliminate minority-related issues, beginning with the suppression of languages.
Sikyong further drew attention to the millions of Tibetan children forcibly enrolled in state-run colonial-style boarding schools, where they are separated from their families, language, and cultural roots, and are taught solely in Mandarin with the primary objective of making loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party. Sikyong Penpa Tsering further said, “The Chinese government is also interfering in the centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist tradition of recognising reincarnated lamas, especially the 15th Dalai Lama. While they ignore the living 14th Dalai Lama, their main aim is to control the next Dalai Lama so they can control the Tibetan people.”
Sikyong further drew attention to the tragic cases of 157 Tibetans who have self-immolated since 2009 in protest against the PRC’s repressive rule, most of whom were young men and women between the ages of 17 and 35.
Sikyong also spoke about the celebration of the 90th birth anniversary of His Holiness the Dalai Lama by Tibetans around the world, observed under the Year of Compassion initiative.
Sikyong recalled the Tibet Policy Act of 2002, a significant U.S. law encouraging China to engage in dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama to achieve genuine autonomy for Tibet. Sikyong noted that on 6 July 2025, seven nations issued a joint policy statement reaffirming their support for religious freedom and the Tibetan people’s right to choose the next Dalai Lama.
Sikyong said, “If it is befitting, I request this conference to consider issuing a communiqué or declaration on this important matter.” Concluding his address, Sikyong reaffirmed the Tibetan spirit of resilience, stating, “As His Holiness always says, never give up. We Tibetans will never give up and will continue our struggle, but we need your continued support.”
With this conference, Sikyong Penpa Tsering’s official visits to the Czech Republic, Mexico, Germany, and the United States concluded successfully. During his visit, Sikyong was accompanied by Representative Thinley Chukki and Phuntsok Topgyal, UN Advocacy Officer of the Tibet Bureau in Geneva.
