As world leaders converge on St Petersburg in Russia for a G20 summit meant to tackle global economic uncertainty, exile Tibetans called on world leaders to intervene on the worsening human rights situation in Tibet.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will preside over the meeting of nations, to be held on Thursday and Friday in the gilded splendour of the Tsarist Peterhof palace in St Petersburg.
The G20 economies account for 90 percent of global output, 80 percent of world trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population.
Issues on the agenda include fostering freer trade, creating stronger financial regulations, and creating jobs. The meeting is likely to be overshadowed by the situation in Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons on civilians.
Tibetans say that 60 years of Chinese occupation of Tibet have left Tibetans bereft of basic human rights and have marginalised Tibetans within their own homeland.
Five major Tibetan organisations: Tibetan Youth Congress, Tibetan Women’s Association, National Democratic Party for Tibet, Gu Chu Sum Movement for Tibet, and Students for a Free Tibet, India, called on world leaders to “unite for Tibet” and engage with Chinese president Xi Jinping to address the crisis in Tibet.