(TibetanReview.net, Mar22’25) – A total of 28 European countries has on Mar 20 expressed “very serious” concern on the human rights situation in the People’s Republic of China, particularly in Tibet and Xinjiang (East Turkistan) and on other issues, during the ongoing 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said the Tibet Bureau Geneva in a Tibet.net statement Mar 21.
Presenting a joint statement on behalf of 28 European countries, Miroslaw Broilo, Poland’s Permanent Representative at the UN Office in Geneva, has expressed concern about “the very serious human rights situation in China” and urged Beijing to “abide by its obligations under national law, including its own Constitution, and international law, to respect, protect and fulfil the rule of law and human rights for all.”
In his oral statement too, Broilo has said, “We are concerned about the situation in China, in particular in Tibet and Xinjiang (East Turkistan) and the treatment of Human Rights defenders, lawyers and Journalists. China must refrain from Transnational Repression.”
On the situation in Tibet in particular, the joint statement has said, “the human rights situation in Tibet continues to be dire. Indicators of this include obligatory boarding schooling and the suppression of protests against hydropower projects. We are deeply concerned over reports that Tibetan schools teaching Tibetan language and culture have been shut down and that Chinese authorities have insisted that all students attend state schools where Tibetan is only taught as a stand-alone subject.”
The statement has also called for the immediate and unconditional release of Tibetan, Uyghur and Chinese human rights defenders including Chadrel Rinpoche, Go Sherab Gyatso, Golog Palden, Semkyi Dolma and Tashi Dorje. It urged China to facilitate visits by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and experts.
The joint statement was stated to have been made on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.
Apart from the joint statement, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands and Switzerland have raised serious concerns about the ongoing human rights situation in Tibet through their separate oral statements during the general debate.
Earlier, while presenting his Global Update at the council on Mar 3, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, said he was “concerned about the impact of education policy and the restriction of freedom of expression and religion in the Tibet Autonomous Region.”
He expressed commitment to continue raising these issues in his ongoing discussions with the Chinese government, noted the International Campaign for Tibet (savetibet.org) Mar 21.