(TibetanReview.net, Dec20’23) – The latest report on EU-China relations adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on Nov 16, and by the whole Parliament on Dec 13, has condemned China’s assimilationist policies in Tibet as well as its latest religious practice restriction measures which came into force earlier this year.
The report says the assimilationist policies in Tibet violate the educational, religious, cultural and linguistic rights of the Tibetan people and ultimately threaten to eradicate Tibetan culture and identity.
In particular, the report calls for immediate abolition of the compulsory forced-assimilation boarding schools and preschools in Tibet and urges sanctions against Chinese officials responsible for designing and implementing the system. The parliament had adopted a resolution as well on the same day, making this call.
The report also condemns China’s promulgation of the “Administrative Measures for Religious Activity Venues” also known as “Order number 19”, which came into force on Sep 1 this year. Its aim is to further curtail religious freedom in Tibet and across China. It urges China to respect and guarantee the right to freedom of religion or belief and refrain from monitoring, harassing, detaining or intimidating leaders and members of religious groups both online and offline.
The European Parliament report also calls on Chinese authorities to provide information on the environmental/human rights defenders who were arrested in recent years after they protested against illegal mining activities in Tibet.
It calls on China to allow international and independent observers, including the UN, to access Tibet to carry out an investigation of the true situation there.