His Eminence the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima recognized by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Dharamsala: Speaker Pema Jungney, on behalf of Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, expresses his profound gratitude to 144 government officials, politicians, and Parliament Members from about 14 different countries for calling on China for the release of His Eminence the 11th Panchen Lama, marking the 25th year since his enforced disappearance on 17 May 2020.

Speaker wrote, “As you are very much aware that His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama recognised Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th incarnation of the Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995 at the age of 6. After 3 days of declaring Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama, China abducted him and his family and have since left nothing to the world of his where-about and wellbeing. Our fellow Tibetans and devotees of H.E. Panchen Lama have been urging and pressing the Chinese government to release the 11th Panchen Lama. We remain very concerned and longing to have an evident and factual information about him since last 25 years but to no avail. To this date we are not provided with any evident information about him by the Chinese authority.”

“We cannot believe the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian’s recent statement on H.E. Panchen Lama which states that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima “received free compulsory education when he was a child, passed the college entrance examination and now has a job.” He further said that “neither the now 31-year-old man nor his family wishes to be disturbed in their current normal lives.” because the Chinese government has been lying and fooling the world for all these years as we are all aware. Evidently, the on-going covid-19 Pandemic has put the world in trouble solely because of PRC’s inhuman principles,” he wrote.

“The whole world is under lockdown currently due to the pandemic, yet Tibet has been under lockdown since its illegal occupation by the Communist China. Tibet is still suffering under the cruelty and oppressive rules of China.”

“Marking the 25th year since his disappearance, you have spoken up for the immediate and unconditional release of H.E. the 11th Panchen Lama which also sends a strong message that you support truth and stand by it. I deeply appreciate your support towards our cause. I hope that you will continue to voice for the release of H. E. Panchen Lama until he is released.”

Speaker concluded by saying, “On behalf of Tibetan in and outside Tibet, I once again would like to thank you for joining the global call for the release of H.E. the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. Your voice has surely made a difference and I hope and pray that he will be released at the earliest.”

The letters were send to the 144 government officials, politicians, and MPs including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the US Ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback , Congressman Jim McGovern, and Senator Marco Rubio from the USA; MP Randall Garrison, MP Paul Manly, MP Elizabeth May, MP Jenica Atwin, MP Garnett Genuis, MP Ziad Aboultaif, MP Colin Carrie, MP Kerry Diotte, MP Kerry-Lynne Findlay, MP Jasraj Singh Hallan, MP Marty Morantz, MP Scott Reid, MP Nelly Shin, MP Karen Vecchio, MP Arnold Viersen, MP Cathay Wagantall, MP Arif Virani, MP James Maloney, MP Sven Spengemann, MP Larry Bagnell,  and Senator Mobina Jaffer from Canada; MPL President VF Hlabisa of Inkatha Freedom Party from South Africa; Australian MPs Warren Entsch, Susan Templeman, and Nick McKim; MEPs Mikuláš Peks, Alviina Alametsä, Patrick Breyer, Reinhard Bütikofer, Isabel Carvalhais, Antoni Comín i Oliveres, Petra De Sutter, Lucia Ďuriš Nicholsonová, Tanja Fajon, Raphael Gluksmann, Francisco Guerreiro, José Gusmão, Svenja Hahn, Heidi Hautala, Hannes Heihe, Marcel Kolaja, Miriam Lexmann, Aušra Maldeikienė, Marisa Matias, Tilly Metz, Javier Nart, Clara Ponsati i Obiois, Cales Puigdemont i Casamajo, Diana Riba i Giner, Isabel Santos, Ivan Štefanec, Riho Terras, Marie Toussaint, Alexandr Vondra, Salima Yenbou, Tomáš Zdechovský, and Milan Zver;  Belgian Federal Parliament member Mr. Samuel Cogolati; Member of Scottish Parliament Mr. Ross Greer and Linda Fabiani; MP Tim Loughton from UK; MP Dr. Andrius Navickas from Lithuania; Swiss parliamentarians: Maya Graf, Carlo Sommaruga, Lisa Mazzone, Nik Gugger, Fabian Molina, Prisca Birrer-Heimo, Barbara Gysi, Martina Munz, Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, Claudia Friedl, Balthasar Glättli, Cèdric Wermuth, Irène Kälin, Beat Jans and Nicolas Walder; Czech Chamber of Deputies: František Kopříva, Dana Balcarová, Jan Čižinský, Jakub Janda, Lenka Kozlová, Tomáš Martínek, Jakub Michálek, Vít Rakušan, Olga Richterová, Ondřej Veselý, Tomáš Vymazal and Marek Výborný; Czech Senators Vice-President of the Czech Republic Senat Jiri Ruzicka, Vice President of the Senate Miluše Horská, Vice president of the Senate Jan Hornik, Vice President of the Senate Jiri Oberfalzer, Senator Premysl Rabas, Senator David Smoljak, Senator Marek Hilšer, Senator Vaclav Chaloupek, Senator Jitka Seitlova, Senator Zdenek Papousek, Senator Lukas Wagenknecht, Senator Jiri Dienstbier, Senator Tomas Czernin, Senator Miroslav Balatka, Senator Renata Chmelova, Senator Jiri Drahos; Senator Roberto Rampi, and Member of Chamber of Deputies Mr Luciano Nobili, Members of Chamber of Deputies Mr Matteo Luigi Bianchi and Antonella Incerti from Italy; Mr. Michael Brand, Mr. Frank Schwabe, Ms. Gyde Jensen, and Ms. Margarete Bause from Germany; Deputy Speakers of the Parliament Mr. Gábor Grendel and Mr. Juraj Šeliga, and MPs Peter Osuský, Miroslav Kollár, Ondrej Dostál, Radovan Kazda, Vladimíra Marcinková, Peter Pollák , Miroslav Žiak, Jarmila Halgašová, Anna Zemanová, Dominik Drdul, Kristián Čekovský, Juraj Krúpa, Jana Žitňanská, Marian Viskupič, Peter Cmorej, Ján Benčík, Anna Záborská, Vladimír Ledecký, Romana Tabak and Monika Kozelová from Slovakia ; MPs Ms. Yoko Alender, Mr Ruuben Kaalep, Mr Tamo Kruusimae, Mr Eeick-Niiles Kross, Mr Paul Puustusmaa from Estonia; Members of the Council of States- Maya Graf, Lisa Mazzone and Carlo Sommaruga; and 12 Members of the National Council Prisca Birrer-Heimo, Laurence Fehlmann Rielle, Claudia Friedl, Balthasar Glättli, Nik Gugger, Barbara Gysi, Beat JansIrène Kälin, Fabian Molina, Martina Munz, Nicolas Walder and Cédric Wermuth of Swiss Parliament.