38th FIDH Congress Resolution on the human rights situation in Tibet

31/05/2013
Press release
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38th FIDH Congress
23-27 May 2013
Istanbul (Turkey)

Présented by the International Campaign for Tibet

The International Federation for Human Rights on the occasion of its 38th World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey,

 having regard to FIDH/International Campaign for Tibet joint report “Human Rights Violations and Self-immolation: Testimonies by Tibetans in-Exile” of May 2012;

 having regard to the United Nation’s High-Commissioner for Human Rights’ statement on the situation in Tibet of 2 November 2012;

 having regard to the European Parliament’s resolutions on China and Tibet, in particular its resolutions of 14 June 2012, 27 October 2011, and 25 November 2010;

 having regard to the resolution adopted by the French Senate on the European action in favor of the protection of human rights of Tibetan people of 27 November 2012;

A. whereas the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the elected Tibetan leadership have approached the Government of the People’s Republic of China to find a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution to the issue of Tibet; whereas the talks between the two sides have been at a stalemate since January 2010; whereas Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama Lodi Gyari and Envoy Kelsang Gyaltsen resigned from their posts in June 2012 due to their utter frustration over the lack of positive response from the Chinese side;

B. whereas more than 104 Tibetans, have reportedly set themselves on fire since 2009 in protest against restrictive Chinese policies in Tibet and in support of the return of the Dalai Lama and the right to religious freedom in different Tibetan areas of the People’s Republic of China;

C. whereas further crackdowns by Chinese authorities threaten to escalate the situation; whereas the Chinese government is carrying out a military buildup, imposing an overwhelming security apparatus and placing police and Party cadres in monasteries and other religious institutions;

D. whereas Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, was detained by the authorities of the People’s Republic of China and has not been seen since 14 May 1995;

1. Reiterates that a new approach is warranted in Tibet; the Chinese government needs to take immediate steps to address the current emergency in Tibetan areas;

2. Urges the international community to prevail upon the new Chinese leadership to re-evaluate the “stability maintenance” approach as applied in Tibet, to end the military buildup and limit the dominance of the security apparatus;

3. Encourages diplomats, including representatives of multilateral organizations, and journalists, to continue seeking access to all Tibetan areas until it is granted, based on the principle of reciprocity by which Chinese diplomats and journalists presently enjoy relatively open access and unrestricted travel in the countries they are posted;

4. Endorses the principles set out in the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan people, proposed by the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to their Chinese counterparts in 2008, which provide the basis for a realistic and sustainable political solution to the issue of Tibet;

5. Calls on the “Fifth generation leadership” of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to resume dialogue with representatives of the Tibetan side to establish a broader and more substantive dialogue regarding the most serious current threats to Tibetan culture, including Chinese policies on religious practice and expression, education and language, in-migration of non-Tibetans, and economic development;

6. Urges the Chinese government to acknowledge the importance of the Dalai Lama to the Tibetan people and his critical role in Tibet’s future and to stop rhetorical attacks and other propaganda efforts directed against the Dalai Lama;

7. Encourages Chinese authorities to conduct an independent assessment of existing policies, legislation and regulations that negatively impact Tibetan culture, utilizing international expertise and incorporating Tibetan participation;

8. Urges the Chinese government to reassess current security policies in response to unrest, self-immolations and protests in Tibetan areas, and where possible, permanently draw down the security presence in Tibetan areas.

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