IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1072 

Recognizing the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day of March 

10, 1959, and condemning human rights violations related to the hydropower dam construction project in Derge. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 11, 2024 

Mr. MCGOVERN (for himself and Mrs. KIM of California) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising 

Day of March 10, 1959, and condemning human rights 

violations related to the hydropower dam construction 

project in Derge. 

Whereas for more than 2,000 years the people of Tibet have 

maintained a distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and 

historical identity; 

Whereas 2024 marks the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan 

Uprising Day of 1959, ensued by the flight from Tibet 

to India of the spiritual and temporal leader of the Tibetan people, Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai 

Lama, who was forced to flee due to fear for his safety 

as the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation 

Army prepared to commence an assault on his residence; 


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•HRES 1072 IH 

Whereas, upon his arrival in India, the Dalai Lama declared 

that he could do more to champion the rights, including 

the right of self-determination, of the Tibetan people in 

exile than by remaining inside territory occupied by the 

Armed Forces of the People’s Republic of China (PRC); 

Whereas in the intervening years the PRC has persistently 

sought to erase the religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity of the Tibetan people; 

Whereas this attempt at erasure includes separating up to 

1,000,000 Tibetan children from their families and forcing them to enroll in schools that teach principally in 

Mandarin, seeking to undermine the transmission of Tibetan language and alienate Tibetan youth from their 

culture, which if successful would contribute to the erosion of the identity of the entire people; 

Whereas, as a result of PRC policies, at least 1,800,000 Tibetan nomads have been forced into concentrated settlements without compensation nor guarantees of income or 

employment, contributing to their vulnerability to coercive labor programs; 

Whereas the Government of the PRC routinely interferes 

with religious practices of the Tibetan people thus violating the right to freedom of religion which is vital to 

Tibetan spiritual education and expression; 

Whereas Freedom House’s ‘‘Freedom of the World 2024’’ report scores Tibet as 0 out of 100, the worst rating in at 

least 8 years; 

Whereas a notable and recent instance of Chinese suppression of Tibetan rights is the decision of the PRC to undertake a hydropower dam construction project in the 

eastern Tibetan area of Derge that would reportedly 


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•HRES 1072 IH 

cause the displacement of approximately 2,000 Tibetans 

from their homes and destroy 6 historical monasteries 

holding numerous artifacts of religious significance, including murals that date back to the 13th century, 

prompting mass protests against the project; 

Whereas in response to the protests in Derge, on February 

23, 2024, Chinese authorities forcibly detained more than 

1,000 Tibetans; 

Whereas the judiciary in the PRC is not independent; 

Whereas cases of arbitrary detention, disappearance, and torture of Tibetans are frequent and well-documented; and 

Whereas, over the years, Congress has consistently and 

strongly condemned the Chinese Government’s repression 

of the human rights of the Tibetan people: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recognizes the 65th anniversary of the flight 

3 from Tibet of Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th 

4 Dalai Lama, in response to the People’s Republic of 

5 China’s military aggression; 

6 (2) confirms its longstanding support for the 

7 human rights, including the right of self-determina8 tion, of the Tibetan people; 

9 (3) condemns the People’s Republic of China’s 

10 persistent efforts to erase the Tibetan people’s dis11 tinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical 

12 identity, most recently through the proposed hydro13 power dam construction in the eastern Tibetan area 


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1 of Derge that would reportedly cause the displace2 ment of approximately 2,000 Tibetans from their 

3 homes and destroy 6 historical monasteries and arti4 facts of religious significance; 

5 (4) condemns the arbitrary detention on Feb6 ruary 23, 2024, of those protesting the hydropower 

7 dam construction project in Derge; 

8 (5) expresses grave concern for the well-being of 

9 the protesters and those who provided video and 

10 photographic evidence of the events as they un11 folded; 

12 (6) demands that the People’s Republic of 

13 China immediately release all prisoners of conscience 

14 in China, including those detained in the February 

15 2024 protests against the hydropower dam construc16 tion project in Derge; 

17 (7) demands that the People’s Republic of 

18 China publicly apologize for the violations of the 

19 rights of those who protested against the hydro20 power dam construction project in Derge, provide 

21 immediate redress for physical and emotional trau22 ma, and expunge from the detainees’ official records 

23 any mention of the arrests or charges; 

24 (8) calls upon the Biden administration to urge 

25 authorities of the People’s Republic of China to halt 


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1 the hydropower dam construction project in Derge 

2 until the views of the local Tibetan residents are 

3 taken into account in accordance with the provisions 

4 of autonomy provided to Tibetans under People’s 

5 Republic of China law, and to cancel construction 

6 unless authorities obtain the genuine consent of local 

7 Tibetan residents; 

8 (9) calls on the Biden administration to insist 

9 that the Government of the People’s Republic of 

10 China abide by its commitments to safeguard cul11 tural heritage made at the February 2023 review of 

12 the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, 

13 and Cultural Rights; and 

14 (10) calls upon the Biden administration to 

15 fully implement the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 

16 U.S.C. 6901 note), including the Tibet Project Prin17 ciples which require Tibetan input into development 

18 projects, to ensure that the People’s Republic of 

19 China fully respects all the human rights of the Ti20 betan people. 

Æ 


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