(TibetanReview.net, Dec05, 2015) – Germany’s Human Rights Commissioner Mr Christoph Straesser has criticized the Chinese government for having shown an ‘incorrect perception of reality’ during his recent visit to China and Tibet as a part of the EU-China human rights dialogue. “Besides,” the Deutsche Welle quoted her as saying, “What we perceived was surely only a small part of reality in this region”.
He has also said that despite decades-long discussions held in Germany, “there is … the impression that Dalai Lama supporters aren’t allowed to freely practice their religion given that the Dalai Lama is seen in China as someone who is allegedly seeking state autonomy for Tibet. His supporters are in constant danger of having their rights infringed because of their affiliation.”
“This also leads to more arrests and very unpleasant situations for these people,” he has added.
He has described the current situation in Tibet as one marked by a clear violation of the right to religious freedom. “However,” he has added, “we must take into account that only through persistent dialogue can we achieve that the Chinese government views the Dalai Lama as someone who is not seeking to divide the country.”
He has also defended Germany’s policy of welcoming the Dalai Lama to his country despite China’s objections, saying, “We … have to point to the fact that the Dalai Lama is also seen in our region – when he comes to Germany – as a religious leader and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who says he has no intention whatsoever of disentangling Tibet from the People’s Republic of China.”