MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Tibet
25.10.2011
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Thomas Mann, Mario Mauro, Filip Kaczmarek, Roberta Angelilli, Csaba Sógor, Bernd Posselt, Tunne Kelam, Monica Luisa Macovei, Sari Essayah, Eija-Riitta Korhola, László Tőkés, Zuzana Roithová, Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris, Cristian Dan Preda, Giovanni La Via, Bogusław Sonik on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0540/2011
B7‑0564/2011
European Parliament resolution on Tibet
The European Parliament,
-having regard to its previous resolutions on China and Tibet, in particular its resolution of 25 November 2010,
-having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rule of Procedure,
A. considering that the respect of human rights, freedom of religion and freedom of association, are founding principles of the EU and a priority of its foreign policy;
B. whereas Phuntsog, age 20, and Tsewang Norbu, 29-year old, died after setting fire to themselves, respectively on 16 March and 15 August 2011, as a protest against Chinese restrictive policies in Tibet;
C. whereas the younger brother of Phuntsog, Lobsang Kelsang and Lobsang Kunchok, both aged 18, set fire to themselves in the Ngaba County market on 26 September, whereas although they survived, their present condition remains unclear;
D. whereas 17 year old monk of Kirti monastery, Kelsang Wangchuk, immolated himself on 3 October and was immediately carried away by Chinese soldiers who extinguished the fire and beat him heavily before taking him away so that his current wellbeing and whereabouts are unknown;
E. whereas two former monks from Kirti, Choephel, 19-year old, and Kayang, 18-year old, clasped their hands together and set fire to themselves while calling for the return of the Dalai Lama and the right of religious freedom, and died following the protest;
F. whereas former Kirti monk Norbu Damdrul, at the age of 19, set fire to himself on 15 October as the eight Tibetan self-immolating, whereas his current whereabouts and wellbeing are unknown;
G. whereas on 17 October a nun from Ngaba Mamae Dechen Choekorling Nunnery, Tenzin Wangmo, aged 20, died as the first female to commit self-immolation;
H. whereas all monks have reportedly called for religious freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama before committing self-immolation;
I. whereas self-immolation can be seen as a form of protest and expression of increasing desperation of young Tibetan people, especially within the Kirti monastery’s community;
J. whereas whatever the personal motivations, these acts must be considered in the larger context of religious and political repression in Ngaba that can be traced back many years;
K. whereas the tightening of state control over religious practice via a series of regulations passed in 2007 by the Chinese government has contributed to the desperation of Tibetans over the Tibetan plateau;
L. whereas current regulations have dramatically expanded state control over religious life with many expressions of religious identity being subject to state approval and control, including the recognition of reincarnate lamas;
M. whereas a Chinese court sentenced 3 Tibetan monks to prison over the death of their fellow monk, Phuntsog who set himself on fire on 16 March, for hiding and depriving him of medical attention, accusing them of "intentional homicide"
N. whereas Kirti Monks live in permanent fear of getting arrested or harassed by Chinese authorities;
O. whereas over the last months the Chinese authorities have tightened security in Tibet, especially in the environs of the Kirti monastery, with journalists and foreigners being banned from visiting the region and police in full riot gear patrol the monastery;
1. Is deeply concerned by reports, since last April, of eight Tibetan Buddhist monks and one nun self-immolating near the Ngaba Kirti monastery in China’s Sichuan province;
2. Calls on the Chinese government to guarantee freedom of religion to all its citizens in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to eliminate criminal and administrative penalties that target religion and have been used to punish citizens for exercising their right to freedom of religion
3. Calls on the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of Tibetans in all the provinces of China and to act in a proactive manner to resolve the underlying grievances of China’s Tibetan population;
4. Calls on the Chinese authorities to cease promoting policies threatening the Tibetan language, culture, religion, heritage and environment, in contravention of the Chinese Constitution and law providing autonomy to ethnic minorities
5. Urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to provide complete details on the status of the 300 monks who were taken away from the Kirti monastery in April 2011 and about which several Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, including the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, have intervened,
6. Calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to release information on all those detained in the eastern Tibetan region of Ngaba since 16 March 2011, especially their current whereabouts and wellbeing and proceed to their immediate release;
7. Urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to be accountable for the status of those Tibetans who have been “hospitalized” after their self-immolations, including the access to their medical treatment;
8. Calls on the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to release as soon as possible a public statement to express the concern of the European Union for the escalating situation in Ngaba county urging for human rights and fundamental freedoms and restraint of security police;
9. Calls on the European Union and its Member States to pressure the Chinese authorities into a negotiated sustainable solution for the ongoing crises in Tibet, especially within the Kirti monastery;
10. Calls on the Chinese authorities to refrain from implementing counterproductive policies and aggressive programs of "patriotic education" in Tibetan areas, such as Sichuan, Gansu and southern part of Amdo, places where violations of human rights have created tensions;
11. Asks the European Union and its Member States to call on the Chinese government to resume its dialogue with the Dalai Lama and his representatives towards genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the People’s Republic of China and to stop their campaign to discredit the Dalai Lama as a religious leader;
12. Calls on the EU HR/VP Commission Lady Ashton to raise human rights issue at the next EU-China Summit, and to ask the support of the President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso as well as of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy to clearly protect Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic identity during their official speeches at the opening or closing of the Summit, in the case that mentioning will not take place, the EP calls on Lady Ashton to explain why it was not possible to raise this issue;
13. Calls on the EEAS and the EU delegation in China to constantly monitor the human rights situation in China as well as to continue to raise in meetings and correspondence with Chinese officials concrete individual cases of Tibetans imprisoned for the peaceful exercise of religious freedom, and to present a report to the EP within the next twelve months, suggesting actions to do or policy to implement;
14. Urges the People’s Republic of China to respect religious freedoms and basic human rights of the monastic and lay communities in Ngaba and suspend implementation of religious control regulations in order to allow Tibetan Buddhists to identify and educate religious teachers in a way consistent with Tibetan traditions, review religious and security policies implemented since 2008 in Ngaba, and begin a transparent dialogue with the leaders of Tibetan Buddhist schools;
15. Calls on the People’s Republic of China to withdraw military and other armed personnel surrounding Kirti monastery and hand over the entire day-to-day management of the monastery to the monks and allow unhindered atmosphere of religious activity for both the monks and the lay people;
16. Calls on the People’s Republic of China to lift the military siege in Ngaba region and allow independent and neutral observers to the region;
17. Urges the Government of the People’s Republic of China to respect internationally agreed standards on human rights and abide by its obligations to international human rights conventions with respect to freedom of religion or belief;
18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the HR/VP Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member states, the Government and parliament of the People’s Republic of China.