Dear UN Representatives,
We are concerned that many Tibetans are now living in an atmosphere of fear and lack of freedom.
We are concerned about the news of foreign independent media being expelled from the country and about the disconnection of mobile networks as well as the internet. We ask for whom does a state of complete inaccessibility serve?
We express our symphaties and condolences both to the Tibetan people and to the families of the victims that the protests took a toll on, and also to all those who were arrested and detained for coming to express their peaceful protests against Chinese oppression.
Due to the ongoing critical situation in Tibet we are issuing this statement:
1. We are asking the government of the People's Republic of China to immediately stop using brute force against non-violent protesters with regard to the fact the number of victims in Tibet has reached 140, according to sources in the Tibetan government in exile. We are requesting that medical care and treatment be provided to those who were wounded. We have received alarming reports of some wounded Tibetans being refused by hospitals.
2. We are asking the government of the People's Republic of China to allow access to foreign independent media, according to pre-olympic promises, and thus allow objective reporting on the current situation in the area. We are also requesting that mobile and internet networks no longer be blocked.
3. We are urgently requesting an independent investigation of the situation in Tibet by a UN-led mission and we are encouraging the Government of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic to work through every possible means to help arrange such a mission and to send it out. This can be brought about by approaching the Czech Republic as the part of the European Union.
4. Furthermore, we are again requesting that meaningful dialog between the Tibetan government in exile and representatives of the People's Republic of China be started. Such a dialog is according to our conviction that this is the only means leading to a real, lasting, and most importantly non-violent solution for the situation in Tibet. In this case we are also encouraging the the Government of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic to continue in their efforts, and by every possible means, to contact the Chinese government in this regard.
5. We are requesting Czech politicians, government representatives and officials to reconsider their part in the Olympic Games in Beijing if the Chinese government refuses to start negotiations towards a peaceful solution of the situation in Tibet with representatives of the Tibetan government in exile. The Olympic Games would thus be held in a country that refuses to respect fundamental human rights, despite previous promises that were set as a condition of staging the Games. We are afraid that in such a situation the presence of government representatives and officials of individual countries would be used for the purpose of Chinese state propaganda as a justification of the policies and politics in Tibet.
6. We are appealing to the Czech Olympic Comittee to publicly guarantee that Czech sportsmen and sportswomen, if they decide to take part in the Olympics, are free to express their opinion on the breaking of human rights in China and Tibet.
We very much appreciate the Statement of the Government of the Czech Republic that was made on 17th March 2008, where among other things there is a request to release preventively arrested detainees. We also appreciate the Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the situation in Tibet of 16th March 2008.
We would also like to thank all the people who are actively expressing support to Tibetans.
Civic Associations:
* Lungta - www.lungta.cz
* M.O.S.T. - www.protibet.org
* Namasté Nepál - www.namastenepal.cz
* Potala - www.potala.cz
* Olympic Watch - www.olympicwatch.org
* Člověk v tísni - www.clovekvtisni.cz
