MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Tibet, self-immolation of nuns and monks
25.10.2011
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Fiorello Provera, Lorenzo Fontana, Jaroslav Paška on behalf of the EFD Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0540/2011
B7‑0546/2011
European Parliament resolution on Tibet, self-immolation of nuns and monks
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolutions on China and Tibet,
- having regard to the statement made by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on 10 April 2011,
- having regard to US President Barack Obama administration's statement on Tibet of 13 July 2011,
- having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of procedure,
A. whereas on October 17, 20-year-old Tibetan nun, Tenzin Wangmo from Sichuan's Aba county, committed self-immolation, following the shooting of two Tibetans by Chinese police on October 16;
B. whereas since March 2011 nine ethnic Tibetans have committed self-immolation in order to protest against the lack of religious freedom and the imposition of Chinese control in Tibet;
C. whereas over the past three years the Chinese government has imposed drastic measures on Tibetan monasteries in the Aba prefecture of Sichuan province, including arbitrary detentions, heavy surveillance of monasteries, permanent security presence to monitor religious activities and Buddhist monks are expected to undergo "political education" by the state;
D. whereas since 2002, the Chinese authorities have increased security expenditures in the Aba region, which human rights group believe has contributed to the use of tactics such as mass detentions, blockades and has assisted in fomenting the number of self-immolations amongst Tibetan Buddhist monks particularly from the Kirti Monastery in the Aba prefecture;
E. whereas foreign media has been banned from entering restless parts of Tibet and Chinese state television has failed to report on the protests and monks are forbidden to speak out about protests;
F. whereas Tibet has been under Chinese occupation since the 1950s, its spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has been forced into exile and acts of homage to him have been banned;
1. Urges the Chinese government to lift restrictions and heavy-handed security measures on the Kirti Monastery and offer information as to the whereabouts of monks forcibly taken from the monastery; urges Chinese authorities to allow independent international media and human rights monitors to visit the area;
2. Calls on the Chinese authorities to allow Tibetans to freely practice their religion, without obstruction or intimidation, and grant them the right to preserve Tibet's cultural and linguistic heritage;
3. Urges the Chinese government to engage in talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama;
4. Expresses the need for the rights of China's minority communities to be put on the agenda for future rounds of the EU-China human rights dialogue;
5. Urges the Chinese Government to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Member countries of the UN Human Rights Commission and the Government of the People's Republic of China.