(TibetanReview.net, Jul08’26) – A total of 51 members of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, representing more than half the parliament’s total strength, have signed a statement recognizing Tibet as a historically independent country currently under China’s occupation rule, and condemning the latter’s efforts to assimilate the territory under the newly adopted Law on Promotion of Ethnic Unity and Progress which came into force on Jul 1.
The fact that 51 of the country’s unicameral parliament’s 101 members have signed the statement is impressive, said Roy Strider, Coordinator of Tibet Support Group in the Parliament of Estonia, because it took place when the parliament was in summer recess.
He said in an emailed statement Jul 8: “We hope that our exceptionally strong support for Tibet—and the declaration at the beginning of the statement that Tibet is a historically independent country, forcibly occupied by China—reflects the firm and unwavering stance of the Estonian people, as well as the sense of brotherhood shared between two small nations.”
The statement says China’s new law “will erase Tibetan identity and introduce far-reaching mandates aimed at separating Tibetan identity from local governments to Tibetan schools and communities”, and outlines its salient features to explain how.
Expressing strong opposition to the law, the statement urged China not to implement it, but, rather, to repeal it.
The statement also asked relevant UN bodies and mechanisms to urgently review the PRC’s assimilation policies, employing all available international instruments to prevent further violations of cultural, linguistic and religious rights by the PRC authorities.
It also called for the exertion of a united diplomatic pressure on Beijing to resolve the China-Tibet conflict peacefully through genuine and mutually respectful dialogue.
Strider said the statement was presented on His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday of Jul 6 and published on the official website of the Estonian Parliament as well – https://www.riigikogu.ee/wpcms/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Tiibet-ENG.pdf