Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay (R) and FIDH President Souhayr Belhassen giving the opening speeches at FIDH's 38th congress in İstanbul. (Photo/Today's Zaman/İsa Şimşek)
DHARAMSHALA, June 2: One of the world’s oldest human rights organisations called upon China to take immediate steps to address the current emergency in Tibet and denounced the “intensification of the military build-up in Tibet.”
The International Federation of Human Rights on May 26 adopted the Resolution on Human Rights situation in Tibet at its 38th Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.
Representatives of 178 non-governmental organisations from 117 countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania, attended the Congress from May 22-27.
In the resolution, the representatives called for a new approach in Tibet and noted that the Chinese government “needs to take immediate steps to address the current emergency in Tibetan areas.”
The Congress delegates encouraged Chinese authorities to “conduct an independent assessment of existing policies, legislation and regulations that negatively impact Tibetan culture, utilising international expertise and incorporating Tibetan participation.”
Focusing on the ongoing wave of self-immolation protests in Tibet, the resolution urged the Chinese government to “reassess current security policies in response to unrest, self-immolations and protests in Tibetan areas, and where possible, permanently draw down the security presence in Tibetan areas.”
Since 2009, as many as 118 Tibetans living under China’s rule have set themselves on fire protesting China’s occupation and demanding freedom and the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from exile.
FIDH members urged the international community to “prevail upon the new Chinese leadership to re-evaluate the “stability maintenance” approach as applied in Tibet, to end the military buildup and limit the dominance of the security apparatus.”
Following the continuing absence of any round of talks between representatives of the Chinese Government and exile Tibetan administration since January 2010, the delegates called on the “Fifth generation leadership” of the Chinese Communist Party to resume dialogue with representatives of the Tibetan side. They further urged Beijing to “acknowledge the importance of the Dalai Lama to the Tibetan people and his critical role in Tibet’s future.
The FIDH Congress, which takes place every three years, was held under the theme of “Political Transitions from a Human Rights Perspective.” Keynote speakers during the Congress included Turkish President Abdullah Gül, Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay, President of the International Criminal Court Song Sang Hyun, European Union Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, UN Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier de Schutter, and former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion Asma Jahangir.
Founded in 1922, the FIDH is France’s oldest and largest human rights organisation, with 178 member organisations in 117 countries around the world.