P7_TA(2012)0257 Situation in Tibet European Parliament resolution of 14 June 2012 on the human rights situation in Tibet (2012/2685(RSP)) The European Parliament, – having regard to its previous resolutions on China and Tibet, in particular its resolutions of 27 October 20111 and 25 November 20102, – having regard to its previous resolution of 7 April 2011 on the ban on the elections for the Tibetan government in exile in Nepal3, – having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948, – having regard to Article 36 of the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, which guarantees all citizens the right to freedom of religious belief, – having regard to Rule 110(2) and (4) of its Rules of Procedure, A. whereas respect for human rights, freedom of identity, culture, religion and association are founding principles of the EU and of its foreign policy; B. whereas the EU raised the question of Tibetan minority rights during the 31st round of the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue held in Brussels on 29 May 2012; whereas the EUChina Human Rights Dialogue has not resulted in any significant improvements in the human rights situation of the Tibetans; C. whereas the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama have approached the Government of the People’s Republic of China to find a peaceful and mutually beneficial solution to the issue of Tibet; whereas the talks between the two sides have delivered no concrete results and are currently frozen; D. whereas the authorities of the People’s Republic of China used disproportionate force while dealing with the protests of 2008 in Tibet and have, ever since, imposed restrictive security measures that curtail freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of belief; E. whereas the number of victims of the 2008 protests may have exceeded 200, the number of those detained varies from 4 434 to more than 6 500, and there were 831 known political prisoners in Tibet at the end of 2010, of whom 360 were judicially convicted and 12 were serving life sentences; F. whereas torture, including beating, use of electroshock weapons, long-term solitary confinement, starvation and other similar measures are reportedly used to extract confessions in the prisons of Tibet by the authorities of the People’s Republic of China; 1 2 3 Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0474. OJ C 99 E, 3.4.2012, p. 118. Texts adopted, P7_TA(2011)0158.