(TibetanReview.net, Mar26’26) – The Senate of the Czech Republic’s parliament has on Mar 25 adopted a resolution, defending the religious freedom of the Tibetan people and their exclusive right to determine their future spiritual leaders in the context of China’s move to imposed its own reincarnate-successor of the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader. The resolution also condemns China’s forced assimilation moves in Tibet, urges it to respect its international legal obligations regarding the Tibetan people’s cultural identity, and condemns its transnational repression of them.
Rejecting Beijing’s dicta on the matter, the resolution says the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has “no legitimate authority” to select the 15th Dalai Lama, which is the “exclusive matter of the Tibetan people”. It supports the recent declaration of the current Dalai Lama who has entrusted the Ganden Phodrang as the authoritative institution and the sole authority for identifying his future reincarnation.
Expressing grave concern over the PRC’s “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” adopted Mar 12, 2026 by its National People’s Congress, the resolution calls it an instrument that “openly advocates assimilation”, noting that it restricts cultural, religious, and linguistic freedoms for minorities, and calling it a legal pretext for intensified, institutionalised repression against Tibetan identity.
The resolution urges China as a member of UNESCO and a signatory to various UN conventions to respect its commitment to protect cultural diversity and the dignity of all cultures, noting that Tibet’s spiritual culture is the Tibetan people’s “supreme expression of culture” that must be protected under international law.
The resolution also condemns the recently adopted ethnic unity law which purports to apply to individuals outside of Chinese territory as well, including citizens of the US and the European Union who support Tibetan identity.
The resolution calls on the Czech government to actively advocate for Tibetan religious.
The resolution was adopted with an overwhelming 40 votes in favour and none opposed.
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The resolution was proposed by Senate Vice-President Jitka Seitlova and supported by Senators Přemysl Rabas, Břetislav Rychlík, and Jiří Růžička. It highlights the Czech Republic’s long-standing relationship with Tibet. In particular, it recalls the Dec 2025 Czech parliamentary delegation’s visit to Dharamshala, and the earlier private meeting between President Petr Pavel and the Dalai Lama in Jul 2025.
Seitlova has said, “This is not merely a regional matter. Restricting freedom, curtailing identity, and undermining human rights anywhere affects the security and values we cherish worldwide. The Tibetan people continue to suffer under occupation, and it is our duty to support them in their struggle for religious freedom and cultural survival.”
Senator Přemysl Rabas, the resolution’s rapporteur, has likened China’s attempts to control the Dalai Lama’s succession to impossibility of a situation in the European Union would dictate the election of the Pope.
He has also pointed out that the Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress wsas designed to Sinicize the Tibetan people and other ethnic “minorities’ in the PRC.
Senator Břetislav Rychlík has accused China of being engaged in “a massive attempt at genocide against a historic nation” and called for urgent international support for the Tibetan people.
(based on Tibet.net report Mar 26, 2026)