On Thursday 15 December, MEPs called on the Chinese authorities to uphold fundamental freedoms for minorities, especially for Tibetans and Uighurs – be it the fundamental freedom of cultural expression and religion, or the freedoms of speech, expression, and peaceful assembly and association.
In a joint resolution from the ECR, EFDD, Greens/EFA, EPP, ALDE and S&D Groups, MEPs express concern at an ever more repressive regime towards the different minorities. The MEPs are concerned at the adoption of the package of laws on security and its impact on the minorities, particularly the laws on fighting terrorism and on the management of international organisations.
The European Parliament asks the Chinese authorities to stop demolition of the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy and the expulsion of its inhabitants, and to commit to a dialogue on this subject. More generally, it asks the Chinese government to resume its dialogue with the representatives of Tibet. China put an end to this dialogue in late 2010 in order to find an inclusive political solution to the crisis in Tibet.
In addition, the European Parliament condemns the imprisonment of Ilham Tohti, a campaigner for the Uighur minority in China who was nominated for the Sakharov Prize 2016, and it calls for his immediate and unconditional release. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)