Swiss lawmakers condemn China on 30th anniversary of Panchen Lama's disappearance

Geneva, May 17 The Swiss parliamentarians from the Swiss Parliamentary Group for Tibet on Saturday strongly condemned the Chinese government on the 30th anniversary of the 11th Panchen Lama's disappearance.

In a strongly-worded statement, the parliamentarians condemned the Chinese government for abducting the then six-year-old boy Gedun Choekyi Nyima and his family on May 17, 1995.

The Swiss parliamentarians called on the Swiss government, or the Federal Council, to urge China to immediately release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family.

"The goals of the PRC are obvious: through these massive propaganda shows with the "official" Panchen Lama, the communist authorities of the PRC want to demonstrate pseudo-religious freedom in Tibet," said Nicolas Walder, Co-President of the Parliamentary Group for Tibet.

The parliamentarians appealed to the Chinese government to report on the whereabouts of Gendun Choeki Nyima and his parents, refrain from interfering in the process of finding Buddhist reincarnations and guarantee Tibetans in Tibet their full cultural rights to freedom of religion and education in the Tibetan language.

"The real goal of the PRC is to pave the way for the future appointment of the successor to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama according to the rules of the PRC by strictly controlling the reincarnations of Tibetan Buddhist personalities," Walder added.

The lawmakers further urged their government to call on China to immediately end, in particular, the massive human rights violations against Tibetan Buddhists and their religious leaders, including violent disappearances, arrests, physical abuse, and prolonged detention of monks, nuns, and other persons without trial based on their religious beliefs.

"Three decades of enforced disappearance of any individual is a gross violation of human rights and dignity. In the case of 11th Panchen Lama Gedun Choekyi Nyima, it is not just an individual person's violation, but also the right of the Tibetan people to choose their own religious leader and worship. This not only undermines the religious traditions and practices of Tibetan Buddhists but is also discriminatory against the Tibetans based on their religious beliefs,' said Thinlay Chukki of the Tibet Bureau in Geneva while welcoming the statement issued by the Swiss parliamentarians.

"This contravenes the international human rights laws including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. The Chinese government should release the 11th Panchen Lama Gedun Choekyi Nyima and his family as a first step towards respecting and enforcing international laws,” she further added.

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