By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, December 18: The European Parliament on Thursday criticized the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet calling for ‘respect for human rights’.
A report prepared by Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs states that the worsening of the human rights situation in Tibet has led to an ‘increase in self immolation cases’. Since 2009, 143 Tibetans have resorted to self immolation as a form of protest against the Chinese rule in Tibet. The report also noted the concern over the recently passed law of ‘criminalization measures relating to self immolation aimed at punishing those allegedly associated with self immolators’.
“The Parliament is deeply concerned regarding China continuing its hardline policies against the Tibetan people, especially by rejecting the Dalai Lama’s ‘Middle Way Approach’ which seeks neither independence nor separation but a genuine autonomy within the framework of the Constitution of the PRC,” the report said.
It called Beijing to re-enter into a dialogue with the Tibetan representatives, saying, “No progress has been made in the resolution of the Tibetan crisis in the last few years, as the last round of peace talks took place in 2010.”
It also urged the Chinese authorities to respect the freedom of expression, association and religion of the Tibetans, while expressing concerns over China’s plan to make Chinese the main language of instruction in Tibetans schools.
The Parliamentarians expressed its concern regarding the cases of torture, disappearance and arbitrary detention, and the denial of access to medical care for prisoners including Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and 10 other prominent Tibetan prisoners. It called for a detailed investigation into all deaths in prison.
The report also highlighted the degrading environmental situation of the Tibetan Plateau and the forceful resettlement of over tens of thousands of nomads in Tibet since 2006.
