Press Release - 23 June 2005
[LONDON] Ngawang Sangdrol, a 28 year-old Tibetan nun and a former political prisoner, told Foreign Office Minister Ian Pearson today that Tibetans were relying on the UK to deliver action on Tibet during its forthcoming Presidency of the European Union. The Presidency will provide the UK with a number of key opportunities for high level advocacy on Tibet; notably at the G8 summit which Chinese President Hu Jintao is expected to attend (6 - 8 July), and the EU/China summit scheduled for September. Ms Sangdrol's meeting with Ian Pearson MP took place just prior to Mr Pearson's first visit to China as a Foreign Office Minister (4 - 7 July) and as representatives of the Dalai Lama were preparing to make a fourth visit to China for "talks about talks."
"This is a critical time for Tibet", said Ms Sangdrol. "China's willingness to move towards substantive negotiations with the Dalai Lama's representatives can be directly influenced by concerted political action. The UK must lead efforts to strengthen EU policy towards China, which has been weakened by the fiasco over the arms embargo."
Ms Sangdrol, who spent more than ten years in prison in Tibet for peacefully expressing her support for the Dalai Lama and the cause of Tibetan freedom, is visiting the UK to raise awareness of the torture suffered by herself and by political prisoners still in Tibet, in the week leading to the UN International Day for the Victims of Torture (26 June). She met with Government officials, MPs, journalists and Tibet supporters across the country.
Among the recommendations (see notes) made for action on Tibet, foremost is a request that the EU, under the leadership of the UK, make a public commitment to promote unconditional negotiations between the Chinese Government and Tibetan Government in exile in all bilateral contacts and multilateral fora involving China during the Presidency.
Given Ms Sangdrol's experiences in prison, she also called on the UK to adopt a priority initiative to eradicate torture in Tibet, and reinvigorate efforts to gain access to the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, who has been in 'protective' custody for ten years. She further urged the UK to ensure that the EU/China Arms Embargo is maintained. The EU's stated readiness to lift the embargo earlier this year was knocked by China's passing of an anti-secession law, authorising the use of force against Taiwan if it declared independence. Jack Straw further justified the climb-down by stating that it was "not least because there hasn't been much improvement in human rights."
Contact: Yael Weisz-Rind, 020 7324 4605 or 07733 391773
Alison Reynolds, 020 7324 4605 or 07711 843884
Notes to Editors:
1. For a photo and details of Ngawang Sangdrol's visit, see http://www.freetibet.org/events/ngawangsangdrol.html
2. Free Tibet Campaign's recommendations for the UK Presidency are as follows:
The UK and EU should secure from China an undertaking to drop all pre-conditions to negotiating a settlement on Tibet with representatives of the Dalai Lama, and should promote the inclusion of all areas with Tibetan 'autonomous' status, as designated by China, in any negotiations. Advocacy for Tibet should always take place at the highest level, particularly as President Hu Jintao is a former Party Secretary in Tibet. A commitment should be made by Downing Street to give immediate public acknowledgement that discussions on Tibet have taken place, unlike the secrecy adopted in July 2003. The UK should develop a set of criteria that will allow the EU to evaluate the progress of formal contact between China and the Tibetan Government in exile. The EU should appoint a Special Representative for Tibetan Affairs to facilitate dialogue in order to resolve the long-standing issue of Tibet. The UK should extract clear commitments from China concerning torture (understood to be top of the Procuratorate's list of priorities for 2006). China has yet to properly implement the Convention against Torture, which it ratified in 1988 with reservations. The UK should secure from China an agreement to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (CAT). In the interim, for China to allow all UN Special Representatives and Working Groups unhindered access to Tibet to investigate human rights concerns. China must guarantee a wholly unfettered visit by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Manfred Nowak (the visit was cancelled in 2004 but is thought to be planned for November 2005.) The UK should further encourage all EU member states to sign and ratify the Optional Protocol on Torture, in order to set a good example. (The UK did this in 2003.) China must consistently outlaw the use of torture to extract 'confessions' from detainees. The UK should démarche China on the case of >>>Tibetan religious leader Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, calling for his case to be re-opened. In January 2005 Tenzin Deleg's suspended death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. The case against Tenzin Deleg, who was accused of 'splittist activities' and taking part in 'causing explosions', has never been made public, but was based on a 'confession' by his co-accused, Lobsang Dhondup. Dhondup publicly withdrew this confession, alleging he had been tortured. Dhondup was executed in January 2003. The UK should reinvigorate efforts to secure access to Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family, who disappeared a decade ago on 17 May 1995, shortly after Nyima was recognised by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. The UK should ensure that the EU/China Arms Embargo is maintained. The UK should institute key changes to the EU/China human rights dialogue (scheduled to take place in October). Objectives for the Dialogue should be publicly linked to a timeframe for compliance by China. 2007 will be the tenth anniversary of the EU's and UK's own dialogues with China, and this important yardstick offers an opportunity for a substantive review. However, no sensible review is possible unless there are timeframes against the EU's benchmarks.
