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resolution motion, 5 May 2025

On violations of religious freedom in Tibet

Motion B-10-2025-0259 · (2025/2692(RSP))

on behalf of the ECR Group · Rapporteur: Adam Bielan, Mariusz Kamiński, Waldemar Tomaszewski, Alberico Gambino, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Carlo Fidanza, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Assita Kanko, Michał Dworczyk, Arkadiusz Mularczyk, Bogdan Rzońca, Alexandr Vondra, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Maciej Wąsik, Marlena Maląg

On Parliament’s site PDF Word

AI:In short

This resolution expresses concern over violations of religious freedom in Tibet, including the death of Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, the abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama, and the detention of monks. It calls for investigations, sanctions, and support for Tibetan religious freedom.

Key points

  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 his disappearance, death, and hast cremation without family consent.
  3. Condemns the abduction of the 11th Panchen Lama and demands verifiable information about his fate.
  4. Urges the PRC government to respect international law in Tibet, condemns erosion of cultural and religious heritage, and interference in religious leadership.
  5. Calls on the EU to impose targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against Chinese officials responsible for religious repression in Tibet.
  6. Encourages EU institutions and Member States to support the Central Tibetan Administration's efforts to preserve Tibetan culture and religion in exile.
  7. Expresses support for the Tibetan Buddhist community to freely appoint religious leaders and uphold cultural, linguistic, and religious freedoms.
  8. Recalls the EU's position that the succession of the Dalai Lama must be determined solely by Tibetan Buddhist traditions and condemns PRC attempts to manipulate it.

Who is affected

  • Chinese officials responsible for religious repression in Tibet may face EU sanctions.
  • The Tibetan Buddhist community, including monks and the Central Tibetan Administration, is supported in preserving religious and cultural freedoms.

Figures and deadlines

  • March 29, 2025: date of Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche's reported death.
  • 1995: year of the 11th Panchen Lama's abduction.
  • May 17th: marks the 30th anniversary of the abduction.
  • January 2025: month of detention of monks from Kirti Monastery.
  • Nearly one million Tibetan children are forcibly placed in state-run residential schools.

Written by AI from the full text · every figure comes from the text · ¶ opens the paragraph · 4 Sept 2026 · Report a problem

Full text

Text 19 paragraphs

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;

Read the rest (7 paragraphs)

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