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Tibet & China: Searching for a New Way Forward

Date:
Location:
210 House Visitor Center

Hearing Notice

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a hearing on the current human rights and political situation in Tibet, and recommendations for strategies that could contribute to ensuring genuine autonomy for the Tibetan people.

On July 6, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama celebrated his 80th birthday, while also marking the fifty-sixth year that he has spent in exile from China after the Tibetan Uprising of 1959, when Tibetans in Lhasa attempted to declare independence from China. Chinese military forces crushed the uprising, causing the deaths of thousands of Tibetans. The Dalai Lama fled to northern India, followed by 80,000 of his compatriots. Since then, thousands more Tibetans have fled, primarily to India and Nepal, to escape human rights abuses by the Chinese government, which continues to oppress the Tibetans and other ethnic and religious minorities within its borders.

The U.S. government and human rights organizations, among others, have continually raised concerns about the human rights situation in Tibetan areas of China, and have called upon the Chinese government to engage in meaningful dialogue with His Holiness the Dalai Lama or his representatives, leading to a negotiated settlement on Tibet. A recent example is H. Res. 337, passed on July 8, 2015, urging the executive branch to fully implement the Tibet Policy Act of 2002, including by encouraging substantive dialogue, and to consistently raise Tibetan human rights and political and religious freedom concerns in high-level bilateral meetings with China. A Tibetan proposal for moving forward exists, the Middle Way Approach, which seeks to guarantee and deepen autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

Witnesses will discuss current U.S. policy on Tibet, including in the context of U.S.-China relations; reflect upon China’s treatment of the Tibetans and other ethnic and religious minorities; and examine the upcoming electoral process for the political leader of the Tibetan exile community, and the Middle Way Approach to securing genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the People’s Republic of China.

For any questions, please contact Kimberly Stanton (Kimberly.Stanton@mail.house.gov, 202-225-3599) or Shad Klein (Shadman.Klein@mail.house.gov, 202-225-3599) for Rep. McGovern, or Carson Middleton (Carson.Middleton@mail.house.gov, 202-225-2411) for Rep. Pitts.

Hosted by:

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Joseph R. Pitts
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Witnesses

Opening Remarks

Witnesses

Panel I

  • Dr. Sarah Sewall, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, and Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, Department of State
    Written testimony

Panel II

  • Ms. Sophie Richardson, China Director, Human Rights Watch
  • Mr. Richard Gere, Chairman of the Board, International Campaign for Tibet
    Written testimony
  • Mr. Kaydor Aukatsang, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas
    Written testimony

Bios

Meeting Documents

Transcript

Transcript

Video

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
Fax: +1 (202) 226-6584
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

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