JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
26.10.2005
- –Thomas Mann, Bernd Posselt and Charles Tannock, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
- –Pasqualina Napoletano, on behalf of the PSE Group
- –Bill Newton Dunn, Dirk Sterckx and Frédérique Ries, on behalf of the ALDE Group
- –Raül Romeva i Rueda and Eva Lichtenberger, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
- –Luisa Morgantini and Jonas Sjöstedt, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
- –Marcin Libicki, on behalf of the UEN Group
- –PSE (B6‑0562/2205)
- –Verts/ALE (B6‑0565/2005)
- –PPE-DE (B6‑0567/2005)
- –ALDE (B6‑0570/2005)
- –GUE/NGL (B6‑0575/2005)
- –UEN (B6‑0581/2005)
European Parliament resolution on the case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche
The European Parliament,
– recalling its earlier resolutions on Tibet and the human rights situation in China,
– having regard to its resolutions of 18 November 2004 and 13 January 2005 on ‘Tibet, the case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’,
– having regard to its resolution of 28 April 2005 on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World 2004 and the EU’s policy on the matter,
– having regard to the Human Rights Dialogue between the EU and China,
– having regard to the report and recommendations of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue Seminar of 20-21 June 2005,
– having regard to the Joint Statement of the EU-China Summit of 5 September 2005,
– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on 2 December 2002 the Kardze Intermediate People’s Court in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province sentenced Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, an influential and respected Buddhist lama, to death with a two-year suspension and his attendant, Lobsang Dhondup, to death without suspension,
B. whereas the involvement of Tenzin Delek and Lobsang Dhondup in a series of bombings or in incitement to separatism has not been proved,
C. whereas Lobsang Dhondup was executed on 26 January 2003,
D. whereas in accordance with Chinese law – given that the accused did not break the law again during the two-year suspension period – and in response to immense pressure from the international community and human rights organisations, the death sentence on Tenzin Delek was commuted to life imprisonment on 26 January 2005,
E. whereas human rights organisations report that, owing to torture and the inhuman conditions of his imprisonment, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s state of health is so poor that there is serious concern for his survival, and that he is unable to speak or walk,
F. whereas information concerning the state of health of Tenzin Delek cannot be checked by independent observers, as the Chinese Government refuses access,
G. whereas the EU-China Summit of 5 September 2005 marked the thirtieth anniversary of EU‑China diplomatic ties with an agreement on a new strategic dialogue; whereas the question of human rights was one of the key issues placed on the agenda,
H. whereas the embargo on arms sales to China which was decided and implemented in 1989, following the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the continued violation of human rights and religious freedom, is still in force,
1. Is deeply concerned about the state of health of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche;
2. Calls on the responsible authorities to take all possible steps to improve the living conditions and state of health of Tenzin Delek;
3. Demands that the Chinese Government allow Manfred Nowak, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, during his inspection visit to China from 21 November to 2 December 2005, to visit Tenzin Delek and report on his state of health;
4. Reiterates its support for the rule of law, and appreciates the commutation of the death sentence handed down to Tenzin Delek;
5. Urges the Chinese Government, nonetheless, to cancel all sentences against Tenzin Delek and to release him immediately;
6. Affirms its call for the abolition of the death penalty and an immediate moratorium on capital punishment in China;
7. Regrets the lack of concrete results as regards the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue, and calls once more on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to improve the inhuman conditions of imprisonment in their jails, to cease and abolish torture of detainees, to stop the continued violation of the human rights of the Tibetan people and other minorities, and to ensure that it respects international standards of human rights and humanitarian law;
8. Calls on the Council and the Member States to maintain the EU embargo on trade in arms with the People’s Republic of China and not to weaken the existing national limitations on such arms sales;
9. Calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to step up the ongoing dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama so as to reach a mutually acceptable solution to the Tibet issue without further delay;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the Chinese Government, the Governor of Sichuan Province and the Chief Prosecutor of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Procuratorate.