[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 429 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 429
Commemorating the 59th anniversary of Tibet's 1959 uprising as
``Tibetan Rights Day'', and expressing support for the human rights and
religious freedom of the Tibetan people and the Tibetan Buddhist faith
community.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 8, 2018
Mr. Leahy (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Cruz, and Mr. Rubio)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 59th anniversary of Tibet's 1959 uprising as
``Tibetan Rights Day'', and expressing support for the human rights and
religious freedom of the Tibetan people and the Tibetan Buddhist faith
community.
Whereas March 10, 2018, marks the 59th anniversary of the 1959 uprising in
Tibet, during which the people of Lhasa, fearing for the life of the
Dalai Lama, surrounded his residence, organized a guard, and called for
the withdrawal of Chinese forces from Tibet and the restoration of
Tibet's freedom;
Whereas Chinese statistics estimate 87,000 Tibetans were killed, arrested, or
deported to labor camps during the suppression of the 1959 uprising,
which also forced the Dalai Lama and tens of thousands of other Tibetans
to flee into exile;
Whereas March 10, 2018, also marks the 10th anniversary of a series of protests
in Lhasa, which spread across Tibet, and which were suppressed by
Chinese forces;
Whereas, according to the Department of State, the Government of the People's
Republic of China is engaged in the severe repression of Tibet's unique
religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage, and is engaged in gross
violations of human rights in Tibet, including extrajudicial detentions,
disappearances, and torture;
Whereas, in the 10 years since the 2008 protests, at least 152 Tibetans in Tibet
are known to have self-immolated, with statements or records left by
these self-immolators calling for freedom for Tibet and the return of
the Dalai Lama;
Whereas, in 1961, with the support of the United States, the United Nations
General Assembly recognized the Tibetan people's ``fundamental human
rights and freedoms, including the right to self-determination'';
Whereas, on October 18, 2007, Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to
the Dalai Lama, finding that he is recognized around the world as a
leading figure of moral and religious authority, and is the unrivaled
spiritual and cultural leader of the Tibetan people;
Whereas Buddhists in Tibet, the United States, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia,
Russia, and other countries where followers of Tibetan Buddhism reside
look to the Dalai Lama for religious leadership and spiritual guidance;
Whereas, in its 2017 annual report, the United States Commission on
International Religious Freedom noted that ``[t]he Chinese government
claims the power to select the next Dalai Lama with the help of a law
that grants the government authority over reincarnations,'' which
purports to require all Tibetan Buddhist leaders to obtain the approval
of the Government of the People's Republic of China in order to
reincarnate;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has interfered in the
identification and installation of reincarnated leaders of Tibetan
Buddhism, as part of its efforts to maintain control over Tibet,
including in 1995 arbitrarily detaining the recently identified 11th
Panchen Lama, then a 6-year-old boy, and purporting to install China's
own candidate as Panchen Lama;
Whereas, in 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama declared that the responsibility for
identifying a future 15th Dalai Lama will rest with officials of the
Dalai Lama's private office and that ``apart from the reincarnation
recognized through such legitimate methods, no recognition or acceptance
should be given to a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone,
including those in the People's Republic of China'';
Whereas, in 1981, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Declaration on
the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based
on Religion or Belief, which provides that freedom of religion shall
include the freedom to ``train, appoint, elect or designate by
succession appropriate leaders called for by the requirements and
standards of any religion or belief''; and
Whereas Congress has long held that the right to freedom of religion undergirds
the very origin and existence of the United States, and that freedom of
religious belief and practice is a universal human right and fundamental
freedom: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes March 10, 2018, as ``Tibetan Rights Day'';
(2) affirms its recognition of His Holiness the 14th Dalai
Lama for his outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence,
human rights, and religious understanding;
(3) affirms its support for the Tibetan people's
fundamental human rights and freedoms, including their right to
self-determination and the protection of their distinct
religious, cultural, linguistic, and national identity;
(4) expresses its sense that the identification and
installation of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, including a
future 15th Dalai Lama, is a matter that should be determined
solely within the Tibetan Buddhist faith community, in
accordance with the inalienable right to religious freedom;
(5) expresses its sense that any attempt by the Government
of the People's Republic of China to identify or install its
own candidate as a Tibetan Buddhist religious leader, including
a future 15th Dalai Lama, is invalid interference in the right
to religious freedom of Tibetan Buddhists around the world,
including in Tibet as well as the United States and elsewhere;
and
(6) calls on the Secretary of State to fully implement the
provisions of the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (subtitle B of
title VI of Public Law 107-228; 22 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), in
cooperation with like-minded states where appropriate,
including that--
(A) representatives of the United States Government
in exchanges with officials of the Government of the
People's Republic of China should call for and
otherwise promote the cessation of all interference by
the Government of the People's Republic of China or the
Chinese Communist Party in the religious affairs of the
Tibetan people;
(B) the United States Ambassador to the People's
Republic of China should meet with the 11th Panchen
Lama, who was arbitrarily detained on May 17, 1995, and
otherwise ascertain information concerning his
whereabouts and well-being; and
(C) the Secretary of State should make best efforts
to establish an office in Lhasa, Tibet, to monitor
political, economic, and cultural developments in
Tibet.
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