Tibet: US Congressional Delegation Stands in Solidarity and Calls for Justice
Photo courtesy of Voice of America Tibetan English
On 10 May 2017, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and a United States Congressional Delegation stood behind Tibet in a show of bipartisan support, calling for an end to the ongoing human rights violations and repression in the region. Speakers voiced the necessity of improving the condition of human rights in the region, emphasising that China’s religious discrimination against Tibetans is unjust and insupportable. Addressing China, Representative Jim McGovern insisted upon the exoneration of political prisoners who have been denied re-entry to their homeland. Throughout the meeting of the Delegation, speakers stressed that the United States’ support for political and religious freedom in Tibet is backed by high-level, extensive and bipartisan support.
The article below was published by Voice of America Tibetan English:
A high-level bipartisan United States Congressional delegation led by House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi has pledged continued support for Tibet and called on China to respect Tibetan people’s basic human rights and end its repressive policies inside Tibet.
During a public felicitation to the delegation members organized by the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, North India, delegation leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, Rep. Eliot Engel, Rep.Jim McGovern, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal spoke one after the other on the dire situation inside Tibet and demanded China to respect Tibetan people’s aspiration for freedom and justice.
The delegation members also underlined the bipartisan nature of United States support for Tibet and the Dalai Lama and US Congress’s resolve to continue supporting Tibetan issue until the end. Delegation leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi has spoken about her visit to Tibet few years back and her interaction with the Chinese officials there. “We went to the Potala Palace and we saw the room where His Holiness lived. We promised each other then and there that we would do everything in our power to make sure he would return to that place.”
Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner has spoken about the lack of freedom and justice in Tibet. “Only when there is justice in all of these areas, will there be freedom in Tibet. And that is what we, in the United States Congress, is firmly committed to”, said Rep. Sensenbrenner.
Rep. Eliot Engel urged China not to interfere in Tibetan’s faith and religious practice. “Let the people of Tibet practice their faith. Let the people of Tibet determine their own future,” he said. He further affirmed his continued support to the Tibet cause and said, “We will never stop until Tibet is free.”
Rep. Jim McGovern made it a promise to make it possible for Dalai Lama and Tibetan people to return to Tibet and urged China to release all the political prisoners in Tibet including the Panchen Lama.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal emphasized the importance of preserving Tibetan religion, language, and arts. “United States has consistently and bipartisan way said that we stand with the Tibetan people, freedom, and justice”.
