By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, May 9, 2025 – The European Parliament has adopted a resolution denouncing China’s ongoing violations of religious freedom and human rights in Tibet, marking a rebuke against escalating repression under Chinese President Xi Jinping’s leadership.
Passed on Thursday during a plenary session in Brussels, the resolution (2025/2692(RSP) was supported by 478 Members of European Parliament (MEPs), with 30 votes against and 41 abstentions. The resolution was one of several adopted on international human rights concerns, including on Russia and Tanzania.
The Parliament expressed grave alarm over the worsening human rights landscape in Tibet, citing the Chinese Communist Party’s intensified suppression of Tibetan religious and cultural traditions.
A focal point of the resolution is the suspicious death of Tulku Hungkar Dorje, a respected Tibetan Buddhist leader and humanitarian. He was reportedly arrested on March 25 from his hotel room in Saigon, Vietnam, by local police in collaboration with Chinese security agents. Three days later, on March 28, he died under suspicious circumstances while in custody at a local public security office. His body was cremated in Vietnam without the consent of his family, triggering international outcry. The European Parliament has called for an independent and transparent investigation into his death, as well as the immediate return of his remains to his family.
The resolution also condemns widespread abuses against Tibetan Buddhists, including forced disappearances, physical mistreatment, and political interference in religious affairs. It draws particular attention to Chinese efforts to manipulate the recognition and training of Tibetan religious leaders, such as the Panchen Lama, whose legitimate successor has remained missing since childhood.
Lawmakers also denounced Beijing’s attempts to reshape Tibetan identity through state-controlled education and coercive pressure on religious figures to align with state ideology. These actions, the resolution states, are part of a broader strategy to erode Tibet’s unique cultural and spiritual heritage.
Among its key recommendations, the European Parliament calls for the suspension of extradition treaties with China, targeted sanctions against those responsible for human rights abuses in Tibet, and an international investigation into the circumstances of Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death. It also calls for the release of all political and religious prisoners, including Tibetan spiritual leader, the Panchen Lama, and Uyghur scholar Ilham Tohti.
The resolution urges EU institutions and member states to raise the issue of religious repression in Tibet and other regions such as East Turkestan in both bilateral talks and multilateral platforms. It further encourages the President of the European Parliament to transmit the resolution to the EUSR, the governments of the PRC and Vietnam, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Central Tibetan Administration.
Earlier this month, MEPs Mounir Satouri and Engin Eroglu, senior members of the European Parliament, issued letters to the Chinese and Vietnamese ambassadors to the EU demanding answers about Tulku Hungkar Dorje’s death and condemning the secrecy surrounding his cremation. Satouri also wrote separately to the Vietnamese ambassador, urging a transparent probe into the incident.
