The well known Hollywood actor Richard Gere said that the oppression in Tibet cannot be tolerated as a witness to the United States Congress. Richard Gere, Chair of the International Campaign for Tibet, along with Tenzin Tethong, Director of Tibetan Service, Radio Free Asia and Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy testified before the Congressional hearing on U.S. Tibet policy in Washington, DC.
Richard Gere while speaking before the congress said that the US administrations and Presidents since nineties have called on China to respect the distinct identity of the Tibetans and being human beings, the oppression carried out against the Tibetans in Tibet is not tolerable.
“Subcommittee Chairman Ted Yoho opened the hearing with a statement that raised both the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act (H.R.1872 in the House, S.821 in the Senate) and the Concurrent Resolution on Tibet (H.Con.Res.89 in the House, S.Con.Res.30 in the Senate). Congressman Yoho said: “Human rights and personal freedoms in Tibet are already in a poor and worsening state. According to the State Department’s 2016 human rights report, the government of China engages in the severe repression of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage by among other means, strictly curtailing the civil rights of the Tibetan population.” said the official report in the website of International Campaign for Tibet.
“Richard Gere informed the Committee of the recent self-immolation of a well-respected Tibetan monk named Tenga last month, and contrasted the deepening levels of repression implemented by Chinese authorities with the Tibetan “path towards coexistence, and away from conflict.” Endorsing Tibetan calls for genuine autonomy, Mr. Gere stated that China’s accountability on conforming to international law must grow as the country takes a larger role on the world stage. His remarks are provided below.” added the report.
While Tenzin Tethong described the difficulties Radio Free Asia encounters in reporting on Tibet, Carl Gershman gave recommendations about how the American government could better spotlight Tibet in discussions with the People’s Republic of China, and warned of the threat posed by China to the world order.
View the complete statement report in the link above.
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