Toggle navigation menu.
Helsinki Default Banner

U.S. Helsinki Commission Joins with European Parliamentarians to Express Support for Tibetan People

WASHINGTON– Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) and Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Co-Chairmen of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission), and Ranking Minority Members Congressman Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), along with Helsinki Commissioners Congressmen Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Hilda Solis (D-CA), joined with members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly in signing a statement of solidarity with the people of Tibet. The statement expresses support for the basic human freedoms and dignity of the Tibetan people and pledges continued attention to all individuals and communities worldwide who seek to exercise their basic inalienable rights.

After the Members of Congress signed the statement in Washington last week, the statement was signed on Monday, April 14 in Copenhagen, Denmark by the following Members of Parliament: the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Mr. Goran Lennmarker (Sweden); Ms. Walburga Habsburg-Douglas (Sweden); Mr. Wolfgang Grossruck (Austria); Senator Consiglio Di Nino (Canada); Ms. Tone Tingsgaard (Sweden); Mr. Jean-Charles Gardetto (Monaco); Ms. Pia Christmas-Møller (Denmark); Senator Anne-Marie Lizin (Belgium); and Mr. Joao Soares (Portugal).

Copies of the statement have been sent to President Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and International Olympic Committee Chairman Jacques Rogge.

“We express our strong support for the basic human freedoms and dignity of the Tibetan people and their yearning for autonomy and cultural respect. We view the upcoming Olympic Games in Beijing as an opportunity to reaffirm the principle that respect for human rights is essential to stability and security. We believe that the fundamental human freedoms expressed in the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism are universal and must be respected, and promoted by all nations. Our hope is that through dialogue and mutual respect, peace and freedom will ultimately prevail in Tibet, and throughout China, and indeed throughout the world. We pledge our continuing attention and support to all individuals and communities throughout the world seeking to exercise their basic and inalienable rights.”
 

Media contact

Category
Country
Issue
Date
Filter Topics Open Close
Hearings

Silenced Dissent: The Plight of Political Prisoners ...

Jun 13, 2024

WASHINGTON—Across the globe, individuals continue to be targeted, arrested, and imprisoned for peacefully exercising their rights to freedom of speech, assembly, and association. Persecution on political grounds represents a fundamental […]

screen-reader-text
Hearings

Hamas’ Hostages, Putin’s Prisoners, and Freeing Inte...

Oct 25, 2023

The practice of seizing hostages and political prisoners, as well as actively terrorizing civilians is a constant displayed by Hamas in Israel and Russia’s war against Ukraine. To highlight issues […]

screen-reader-text
Articles

Helsinki Commission Advances Human Rights, Demands f...

Oct 19, 2023

By Shannon Simrell, Senior Policy Advisor Between October 2-13, 11 Helsinki Commission staff joined approximately 1,400 representatives of OSCE participating States (pS) and civil society representatives in Warsaw, Poland in […]

screen-reader-text
Hearings

Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner

Sep 20, 2023

Stream here: HEARING: Vladimir Kara-Murza: Putin’s Personal Prisoner – YouTube Vladimir Kara-Murza, a father, husband, and a freedom fighter, has been in detention for over five hundred days and is currently […]

screen-reader-text
Hearings

Rescuing Ukrainian Children and Women from Russia...

Jul 26, 2023

Russia’s war has exposed the critical need for U.S. and international action to both save Ukraine’s children and to put in place measures for the future that will protect children, […]

screen-reader-text
Hearings

Supporting A Democratic and Secure Moldova

Jul 12, 2023

In recent years, Moldova has made notable steps to improve its democratic institutions and combat corruption. President Maia Sandu and her Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) have spearheaded wide-ranging […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Hearing: Supporting a Democratic and Secure Moldova

Jul 06, 2023

Wednesday, July 12, 2023 2:00 pm Cannon House Office Building, Room 210 Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm-R6rfQbCo In recent years, Moldova has enacted numerous reforms under current Moldovan President Maia Sandu to […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Helsinki Commission Leadership Statement on Georgian...

Mar 06, 2023

WASHINGTON—In response to news that the Georgian parliament is considering Russian-style foreign agent legislation, which would have a chilling effect on Georgia’s vibrant civil society, Helsinki Commission Chairman Representative Joe Wilson (SC-2), […]

screen-reader-text
Press Releases

Helsinki Commission Chair and Co-Chair: Statement on...

Feb 20, 2023

WASHINGTON—Following reports of the sharp deterioration of Azerbaijani dissident Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, Helsinki Commission Chairman Rep. Joe Wilson (SC-2) and Co-Chairman Sen. Ben Cardin (MD) issued the following joint statement: “We […]

screen-reader-text
Digests

Helsinki Commission Digital Digest May 2022

Jun 01, 2022

screen-reader-text
Briefings

Russia’s Swiss Enablers

May 05, 2022

Long known as a destination for war criminals and kleptocrats to stash their plunder, Switzerland is a leading enabler of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and his cronies. After looting Russia, […]

screen-reader-text
Hearings

Russian War Crimes in Ukraine

May 04, 2022

Well-documented Russian bombings and missile strikes in Ukraine have decimated hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings, including a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of children were sheltering and the Kramatorsk rail […]

screen-reader-text