Washington, D.C.—Today, United States Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA) and Young Kim (R-CA) introduced a new congressional resolution in support of the decades-long struggle of the Tibetan people, whose human rights are constantly under threat from the government of the People’s Republic of China. The resolution recognizes the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising Day of March 10, 1959, and condemns human rights violations related to a destructive hydropower dam construction project in the eastern Tibetan area of Derge in China.
“It’s been 65 years since His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was forced to flee as the People’s Republic of China forcibly took control of Tibet,” said Rep.McGovern. “Every day since, the Tibetan people have been defending their human rights and fighting for their self-determination. The PRC must comply with its own laws and its international human rights obligations, and stop oppressing Tibetans.”
“The Tibetan people have suffered the Chinese Communist Party’s oppression and control for 70 years, and the CCP shows no signs of slowing down until it has erased Tibetan culture,” said Rep. Kim. “The freedom-loving people of Tibet deserve our support. I’m proud to join Rep. McGovern in a bipartisan call to stand with the Tibetan people and urge the Biden administration to enforce laws in place to hold the CCP accountable.”
On March 10, 1959, Tibetans began an uprising against the repressive rule of the People’s Republic of China. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was forced to flee to India due to fear for his safety as the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army prepared to commence an assault on his residence.
In the decades since, the PRC has persistently sought to erase the religious, cultural, linguistic and historical identity of the Tibetan people. In a recent example of Chinese suppression of Tibetan rights, the PRC is undertaking a hydropower dam construction project in the eastern Tibetan area of Derge that could cause the displacement of some 2,000 Tibetans from their homes and destroy six historical monasteries. When protests broke out against the dam in February, Chinese authorities forcibly detained more than 1,000 Tibetans.
The new resolution recognizes the 65th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s flight from Tibet; confirms longstanding congressional support for the human rights, including the right to self-determination, of the Tibetan people; demands that the PRC release all prisoners of conscience in China, including those detained in the February protests against the hydropower dam project in in Derge; and calls on the Biden Administration to urge PRC authorities to halt the dam project until the views of the local Tibetan residents are taken into account in accordance with the provisions of autonomy provided to Tibetans under PRC law.
The full text of the resolution can be found here.
