Washington, D.C.— Thirty-two U.S. members of Congress sent a letter to United States Department of State on Tuesday urges the Trump Administration to promptly implement key legislation passed by Congress to guide US policy on Tibet.
Dated May 7, 2019, a bipartisan letter signed by 32 members of Congress addressed to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo was released today by Reps. James P. McGovern (D-Mass.) and Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), co-chairs of the bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
The letter expresses the Congress members’ “deep concern about the well-being of the Tibetan people under Chinese rule,” adding that “the repression in Tibet continues unabated.” The members of Congress say "It is therefore now more urgent than ever that the State Department fully implement current law on Tibet."
"Strong support for human rights must always underlie America’s relationship with the government of China. There is a strong, bipartisan, and growing majority in Congress that is deeply concerned about the situation in Tibet, and we encourage President Trump and Secretary Pompeo to join us by fully implementing both the Tibet Policy Act and the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act," McGovern said.
Smith said that “Members of Congress and the Administration must affirm the peaceful desires of the Tibetan people for greater autonomy and freedom within China. We should demand open access to Tibet by journalists and diplomats, and we should raise the cases of prisoners of conscience with Chinese officials."
"Congress passed the Tibet Policy Act of 2002 and the 2018 Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act to advance religious and political freedom in Tibet, and the Administration must act to fully implement these laws. US leadership on these issues is critical, and we must demonstrate that universally-recognized human rights, especially religious freedom, matter everywhere—especially in Tibet,” Smith added.
“By siding with the Tibetan people, the United States Congress has shown that it stands for truth and justice, values that go beyond Tibet and that are important for all of us and for the way we live,” President of the The International Campaign for Tibet, Matteo Mecacci said while welcoming the letter as yet another expression of the American public’s desire for the Trump Administration to take proactive measures on the issue of Tibet.
