Berlin/ Genf, March 27, 2007: Within less than four months, the Tibet Support Group Germany (TID) collected 10,000 signatures for the release of the political prisoner Bangri Rinpoche. Today those documents were handed over to the office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Louise Arbour.
On the occasion of the annual conference of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Nadine Baumann, campaign director of the Tibet Support Group Germany, and Pema Droyuttsang of the Tibetan Association Germany called attention for the case of Bangri Rinpoche.
Baumann affirms, “As an elected member of the UN Human Rights Council, the People’s Republic of China is responsible to follow the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The treatment of Bangri Rinpoches stands in harsh contrast to these principles. China needs to understand, that the democratic public cannot accept this contempt.”
In 1996 Bangri Rinpoche founded the Gyatso Children’s Home and School in Lhasa, where 60 children aged between two months and twelve years have found a new home. In august 1999 a former employee of the Children’s Home tried to raise the Tibetan flag at the main square in Lhasa and to commit suicide with explosives. The Chinese police arrested Bangri Rinpoche, his wife Nyima Choedron, and 23 other people. The Children’s Home had to close down and the children were left to fend for themselves. Although Rinpoche was not involved in this action of protest, he is the only one still imprisoned. In a trial, which did not at all comply with international norms and standards, Bangri Rinpoche was sentenced to death. Later, this ruling was commuted to lifelong imprisonment. In prison Bangri Rinpoche was tortured so harshly that he had to be admitted to a military hospital.
The Tibet Support Group Germany is the eldest support group for Tibet in Germany. Since 1989 the association has supported the Tibetan people and their right to self-determination and has secured the observation of fundamental human rights in Tibet. For further Information please visit: www.tibet-initiative.de
