By: Yvan Loubier,
Canadian Member of Parliament, Saint-Hyacinthe-Bagot, Quebec
STATEMENT DATE: NOVEMBER 29, 2004 (translated from French)
Mr President,
On December 2nd, the suspension of the death sentence of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s, a well-known and much respected Tibetan Buddhist lama in his region, will come to an end and he could then be executed at any moment by the Chinese authorities.
He was charged with being involved in “causing explosions” and “splittist activities” but his guilt was never proven in a fair trial. According to sources, this man, imprisoned for two years, would have been tortured.
Promotion of human rights and the cause of the Tibetan people make this situation unacceptable. We urge the government of Canada to take action regarding this case. The People¡¦s Republic of China must imperatively revise its positions on the issue of Tibetan political prisoners and respect the religious rights and freedoms of this people.
We want the Canadian government to put pressure on the Chinese authorities in order to stop Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s execution and to ensure that he is given a new trial that is fair and in line with international legal standards.
Canada must stop subordinating the respect of human rights to economic and commercial interests.
Thank you Mr. President.
