EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 247/5

Thursday 10 April 2008

Tibet

P6_TA(2008)0119

European Parliament resolution of 10 April 2008 on Tibet

2009/C 247 E/02

The European Parliament,

having regard to its earlier resolutions on China and on Tibet, in particular on:

(a) the dialogue between the Chinese Government and Envoys of the Dalai Lama (15 February 2007) (1),

(b) the EU-China Summit and the EU/China human rights dialogue (13 December 2007) (2),

(c) EU-China relations (7 September 2006) (3),

(d) the functioning of the human rights dialogues and consultations on human rights with third countries (6 September 2007) (4),

having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan national uprising against the Chinese administration led to major demonstrations by Tibetan monks and nuns and ordinary Tibetan citizens protesting against Chinese repression,

B. whereas, according to the Chinese authorities, 20 people died in the protests; whereas, according to other sources, more than 140 Tibetans died in those clashes, and dozens of others have been arrested,

C. whereas a state of emergency has been declared by the Chinese Government, and shops and temples have been closed in Lhasa, as well as in other cities, with hundreds of armed police officers and army troops moved to Tibet from the rest of China,

D. whereas His Holiness the Dalai Lama has called this Chinese over-reaction ‘cultural genocide’, and has at the same time urged Tibetans ‘to practise non-violence and not waver from this path, however serious the situation might be’ (5) whereas His Holiness the Dalai Lama has not demanded Tibetan independence but has instead proposed a middle way of genuine cultural and political autonomy and religious freedom, thereby expressing a view that is supported by the European Parliament,

E. whereas only peaceful means and sincere dialogue can lead to a lasting settlement,

F. whereas, save for an official international press trip organised by the Chinese Government, the international press has been denied access to the region of Tibet to report on the events, and all journalists have been expelled; whereas the aforementioned international press trip was heavily controlled and the participating journalists were denied unrestricted access to the Tibetan people,

G. whereas the Chinese Government appears to be blocking foreign websites inside China and censoring foreign television broadcasts about the situation in Tibet,

H. convinced that the Beijing Olympic Games represent an extraordinary opportunity for China to open itself up to the world and vice versa, and to demonstrate that it can honour its undertakings as regards the promotion of fundamental rights for all Chinese people, without distinction,

I. whereas the EU-China human rights dialogue established in 2000 has failed to achieve the expected results,

1. Firmly condemns the brutal repression visited by the Chinese security forces on Tibetan demonstrators and all acts of violence from whichever source that have taken place in the streets of Lhasa and elsewhere in Tibet, and expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims;

2. Calls on the Chinese Government to guarantee adequate medical care for injured Tibetans and legal assistance for arrested Tibetans; appeals to the authorities to present an account of their detainees, to treat them in accordance with international human rights law and, under all circumstances, to refrain from torture; calls for the immediate release of all those who protested peacefully exercising their legitimate right to freedom of expression;

3. Criticises the often discriminatory treatment of non-Han Chinese ethnic minorities; calls on China to honour its commitments to human and minority rights and the rule of law; urges China not to misuse the 2008 Olympic Games by arresting dissidents, journalists and human rights activists in order to prevent demonstrations and reports which the authorities view as embarrassing to them; calls, in this regard, for the immediate release of Hu Jia, a prominent human rights activist, sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison on subversion charges;

4. Calls for an open and independent inquiry, under the auspices of the United Nations, into the recent riots and repression in Tibet; urges the Chinese authorities to issue a standing invitation to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and other UN bodies to visit Tibet;

5. Welcomes the fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama has called on the Tibetan people to protest non-violently and has rejected calls for Tibetan independence and instead proposed the middle way of genuine cultural and political autonomy and religious freedom; reaffirms its attachment to China's territorial integrity;

6. Calls on the Chinese authorities to open up Tibet to the media and diplomats, in particular EU representatives; urges the Chinese authorities to immediately stop censoring and blocking news and information websites based abroad; calls for the release of all journalists, Internet users and cyber-dissidents detained in China for exercising their right to information;

7. Is concerned about the increasing economic marginalisation of the Tibetan people in Tibet, who are faced with a rising number of Chinese migrant workers coming into Tibet and taking Tibetan jobs and Tibetan land; points to the gross discrimination in the education system, in which Tibetan children learn their native language as a second language;

8. Calls on China to respect its own public commitments to human rights and minority rights, democracy and the rule of law announced during the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to allow China to organise the Games;

9. Urges China to ratify without any further delay and in any case before the Olympic Games the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (UN, 1966); calls on Beijing to establish a moratorium on the death penalty, as called for by UN General Assembly resolution 62/149 of 18 December 2007 on a moratorium on the use of the death penalty;

10. Regrets that the six sessions of talks between the Chinese authorities and His Holiness the Dalai Lama have failed to achieve results, and calls for a constructive dialogue to be opened without preconditions, with a view to reaching a comprehensive political agreement, including a sustainable solution with regard to the cultural and political autonomy of Tibet and religious freedom and true minority rights for the Tibetan people in other neighbouring Chinese provinces;

11. Calls on the Council, and in particular the Presidency, closely to monitor developments, and to ensure that the EU adopts a consistent common position and that decisions taken on the basis thereof are duly implemented, and considers that EU diplomatic representatives in Beijing should take the initiative of visiting the region in order to report back to the Council about the current situation;

12. Reiterates, in this regard, its call on the Council to appoint a special envoy for Tibetan issues in order to facilitate the dialogue between the parties and closely follow the negotiations once they are resumed;

13. Endorses the statement by His Holiness the Dalai Lama that the Olympic Games are a great opportunity for freedom for all the Chinese people;

14. Calls on the EU Presidency-in-Office to strive to find a common EU position with regard to the attendance of the Heads of Government and of State and the EU High Representative at the Olympic Games opening ceremony, with the option of non-attendance in the event that there is no resumption of dialogue between the Chinese authorities and His Holiness the Dalai Lama;

15. Urges the People's Republic of China to stop scrutinising and judging Olympic athletes on the basis of their political views and threatening to ban them from the Olympic Games if they dissent from the Chinese Government's official position;

16. Looks forward to His Holiness the Dalai Lama 's visit to the European Parliament to address the plenary session scheduled for late 2008, and calls on its Conference of Presidents to explore the possibility of an earlier visit;

17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the applicant countries, the President and Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China, the President of the Chinese People's National Congress, the International Olympic Committee and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

(1) OJ C 287 E, 29.11.2007, p. 554.

(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0622.

(3) JO C 305 E, 14.12.2006, p. 219.

(4) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0381.

(5) Statement issued on 6 April 2008.