On violations of religious freedom in Tibet

B100259/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on violations of religious freedom in Tibet

(2025/2692(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

having regard to its previous resolutions on China and Tibet,

A. whereas on March 29, 2025, Tibetan Buddhist leader Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche reportedly died under unclear circumstances in Chinese custody in Vietnam following his disappearance;

B. whereas the legitimate 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was abducted by Chinese authorities in 1995 and has been missing ever since;

C. whereas May 17th marks the 30th anniversary of his abduction;

D. whereas on January 2025, several monks from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba were detained for participating in a prayer ceremony commemorating Dalai Lama’s teachings, reportedly held without formal charges and denied access to legal representation;

E. whereas the human rights situation inside Tibet continues to deteriorate, with reports of arbitrary detention, surveillance, cultural repression, and restrictions on movement and expression; whereas Tibetan Buddhism is increasingly subject to state interference, including mandatory alignment with the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, state-controlled religious education, and the imposition of political content into monastic life; whereas religious communities have the right to carry out their essential functions freely, without external coercion;

F. whereas UN experts have underlined that nearly one million Tibetan children are being forcibly placed in state-run residential schools aimed at cultural and linguistic assimilation, where Tibetan language and traditions are excluded, reflecting a broader policy of forced assimilation;

1. Expresses deep concern over the suspicious disappearance and sudden death of Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche in Chinese custody in Vietnam;

2. Calls on Vietnam and China to determine the circumstances of Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche’s disappearance, death and the hast cremation of his body without his family’s consent;

3. Condemns the abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, by the Chinese authorities and demands verifiable information about his fate;

4. Urges the PRC government to fully respect its obligations under international law in Tibet, particularly with regard to the protection of cultural identity, freedom of religion or belief; condemns ongoing policies and practices that lead to the systematic erosion of Tibetan cultural and religious heritage, including restrictions on religious expression, interference in the selection of religious leaders, and the imposition of state ideology in monastic institutions;

5. Calls on the EU to impose targeted sanctions under EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Chinese officials responsible for religious repression in Tibet; Encourages EU institutions and Member States to support Central Tibetan Administration’s efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and religion in exile;

6. Expresses its support for the Tibetan Buddhist community to freely appoint the community’s religious leaders and uphold their cultural, linguistic, and religious freedoms without interference, and the right to preserve their distinct identity; recalls the EU's firm position that the succession of the Dalai Lama must be determined solely by Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and condemns the PRC’s attempts to manipulate this process

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU Institutions, Member States, the government of the People’s Republic of China, and the government of Vietnam