(TibetanReview.net, Jun18’24) — The European Union (EU) has on Jun 17 reiterated its call on China to stop human rights violations, including in Tibet and other ethnic minority areas, after a rare delegation visit to Tibet over three days, followed by a meeting with Chinese officials. It said in a statement Jun 17 that the 27-nation union was concerned about the “very serious” human rights situation in China, in particular in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
In the case of Tibet, the delegation has stressed during the EU-China Human rights Dialogue held in Chongqing that the selection of religious leaders should happen without any government interference and in respect of religious norms, including in the case of the succession of the Dalai Lama.
The visit to Tibet, which took place over Jun 13-15 in Nyingchi (Nyingtri) and the Tibetan capital Lhasa, was organised by the Chinese authorities but the EU diplomats specified where they wished to go.
“The programme included visits to boarding schools, municipalities, cultural and religious sites, relocated Tibetan families as well as to a prison. The side visit reflected the majority of the EU’s requests, except for meetings with individual prisoners,” the European External Action Service (EEAS) said in its statement.
“The short and dense programme provided an opportunity to gain a certain understanding of the reality on the ground and challenges in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Following the visit, the EU put forward several recommendations to ensure full bilingual education, the preservation of the cultural heritage, identity and fundamental freedoms of the Tibetan people.”
The visit was the first of its kind for 20 years, noted the irishtimes.com Jun 17.
Last year too, The EU described the human rights situation in Tibet as “dire”, accusing China of placing systematic restrictions on the right of minorities to enjoy their own culture and use their own language.
The delegation that visited Tibet was led by Paola Pampaloni, EEAS deputy managing director for Asia and the Pacific. She co-chaired the EU-China human rights dialogue with Shen Bo, director general for international organisations and conferences at the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs.
During the human rights dialogue the EU raised a number of individual cases too. The Tibetan cases included those of prominent public intellectual Go Sherab Gyatso and Tashi Dorje; the delegation called for their immediate release.
Apart from Tibet, Xinjiang and Hong Kong, the EU delegation, in particular, referred to reports on the crackdown on human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists in China. “The EU urged China to investigate and stop human rights violations, expressing concern for cases of unlawful detention, enforced disappearance, torture and ill-treatment,” the EEAS statement said.
On its part, the Chinese side was stated to have raised the treatment of refugees and migrants in Europe and alleged racism and xenophobia in the EU. China has also focused on economic, social and cultural rights and both sides have said they agreed on the importance of upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“The EU reaffirmed that the full respect for all human rights is a precondition to achieve sustainable and inclusive development, economic growth and prosperity,” the EEAS statement said.