Tibet Brief A report of the International Campaign for Tibet January 2014 In this issue : 1. ▶ ICT Appoints its New President 6. ▶ Two Further Self-immolations in December 2013 2. ▶ Update on Tibet Lawsuits in Spain 7. ▶ Rare Vigil Outside Prison to Support Popular Tibetan Monk 3. ▶ European Parliament Report Condemns Human Rights Abuses in Tibet 8. ▶ Political Prisoner Focus 4. ▶ Screening of “Leaving Fear Behind” by Dhondup Wangchen in the 9. ▶ Reading Suggestion European Parliament 10. ▶ Upcoming Events 5. ▶ Controversial Visit to China by UK Prime Minister Cameron ICT Appoints its New President The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is honored to announce the appointment of Matteo Mecacci, a leading defender of human rights and democracy, as ICT’s new President. of Deputies and the Italian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Mr. Mecacci will lead implementation of a five-year strategic plan that will help ICT build on its successes of 25 years of advocacy and deepen the impact of its work for the Tibetan people. Mr. Mecacci said: “As China grows more assertive on the world stage, the need to advance the struggle for the survival of Tibetan culture and freedoms becomes even more important, not only for Tibetans, but for the world. ICT’s work is essential in demonstrating that the power of truth and human values cannot be suppressed, and ensuring that the spirit and resilience of the Tibetan Matteo Mecacci and the Dalai Lama at a press conference in Assago, Italy in June 28, 2012 people will impact the capitals and societies of the free world.” Richard Gere, Chairman of the ICT an awareness of the political, cultural Board, said: “We are thrilled to welcome and social dynamics within China and Matteo at an important and exciting Tibet, and brings to ICT considerable Matteo Mecacci, who was born in Firenze moment for ICT and the Tibet movement experience in diplomacy, democracy (Florence), Italy, served as a member worldwide. I’ve known and worked with and advocacy.” Matteo for many years and know him of the Italian Chamber of Deputies (on to be an energetic, compassionate and Matteo Mecacci, a former Italian its Foreign Affairs Committee), and creative leader with a solid track record member of Parliament who advanced was an elected official of the OSCE in working with evolving democracies a human rights and democracy agenda Parliamentary Assembly. all over the world. Matteo has a deep both in Italy and globally, served as a > Continued on page 2 connection to the Dalai Lama and Tibet, member of both the Italian Chamber ICT Europe ICT Brussels ICT Germany ICT United States Vijzelstraat 77 15, rue de la linière Schonhauser Allee 163 1825 Jefferson Place, NW 1017HG Amsterdam 1060 Brussels 10435 Berlin Washington, DC 20036 The Netherlands Belgium Germany United States of America Phone: +31 (0)20 3308265 Phone: +32 (0)2 609 44 10 Telefon: +49 (0)30 27879086 Phone: +(1) 202-785-1515 Fax: +31 (0)20 3308266 Fax: +32 (0)2 609 44 32 Fax: +49 (0)30 27879087 Fax: (202) 785-434 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] www.savetibet.org 1 Tibet Brief A report of the International Campaign for Tibet January 2014 > Continued from page 1 Just prior to taking over the ICT presidency, he led the election- He also played an important role in the international campaign monitoring mission of the OSCE/Office for Democratic that led, in 2007, to the adoption of the first UN General Assembly Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) supervising the resolution calling for a world moratorium of capital executions presidential elections in Georgia. and the abolition of the death penalty, and for assisting various countries in adhering to the Rome Statute that established Matteo was elected Chairperson of the Italian Parliamentary the ICC. Intergroup for Tibet after having been voted in as Deputy for the Radical Party on the Democratic Party lists during the 2008 As a member of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Matteo was general elections. In November 2009, he organized the 5th World elected as Rapporteur in 2009 and 2010, and as Chairman of the Parliamentarians' Convention on Tibet, in Rome, which hosted Committee on Democracy and Human Rights in 2011 and 2012. the Dalai Lama and established the International Network of During that time, he took part in numerous electoral monitoring Parliamentarians on Tibet (INPaT). He became Co-Chair of missions, including in Moldova, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and the network with Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Herzegovina, Armenia, the United States, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Thomas Mann in June 2010. Matteo has played an active role Macedonia, Turkey, Tunisia, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and in promoting Tibetan democracy in exile, and was a member of Serbia. In 2012, he was appointed by the Chairman in Office the Tibetan Election Observation Mission in March 2011 when the of the OSCE, the Irish Government, as Special Coordinator of Tibetan community in exile undertook elections for the Central the OSCE Short Term Election Observation Mission in Serbia Tibetan Administration leadership. and Belarus. Matteo served as the representative of the Transnational Radical Matteo studied international law at the University of Firenze Party and No Peace Without Justice at the United Nations in and was a keen soccer player before deciding to get involved New York from 2000 to 2008, where he coordinated various in politics as a young activist. campaigns to foster democracy and protect human rights. He was part of a coalition of international NGOs advocating Matteo lives with his partner Barbara, an actress and award- the reform of the United Nations – in particular the United winning documentary filmmaker who is also focused on human Nations Commission on Human Rights – and he was one of rights issues, and stepson Tommaso, who is a young musician, the promoters of the International Steering Committee of the actor and singer. He loves traveling, reading, opera, music, art Community of Democracies. and theatre. ■ Update on Tibet Lawsuits in Spain Senior lawyers and international law experts have commented on China’s reaction hosts and the legal team behind the to the recent Spanish criminal court rulings against China’s former Party boss Hu lawsuits. Jintao and five other Chinese leaders. The lawyers and professors were speaking at a conference at the University of Valencia, Spain, following the order on November • The Confucian Institute at the 18 for arrest warrants to be issued against five Chinese leaders, including former University of Valencia hosted an official President and Party Secretary Jiang Zemin, for their policies in Tibet. This follows exhibition promoting Chinese culture on the news on October 9 of Hu Jintao’s indictment for genocide in Tibet. The Confucian the same two days as the conference on Institute at the University of Valencia sought to pressure the academic authorities the Tibet lawsuits. Defending the need by hosting a two-day event promoting officially-sanctioned Chinese culture on the to expose crimes against humanity in same days as the conference, while the visa of one of the Tibetan witnesses due Tibet through the lawsuits, leading to speak at the event was denied by the Spanish embassy in India. Spanish Professor Javier de Lucas wrote in Spanish newspaper El País that this New developments in the groundbreaking Tibet lawsuits in Spain are the following: highlighted the dangers of a government vehicle for propaganda being hosted by • One of the key Tibetan witnesses in the universal jurisdiction in Valencia on an academic institution (El País, Dos case, monk Palden Gyatso, who served November 29, although he has traveled Chinas en Valencia) 33 years in prison and labor camps, was to Spain before. The reason for the denial denied a visa by the Spanish embassy of his visa was not clear but is being • The Spanish legal team has submitted in India to travel to the conference on challenged by the University of Valencia's 48 questions addressed to former Party www.savetibet.org 2 Tibet Brief A report of the International Campaign for Tibet January 2014 Secretary and President Hu Jintao about embassy in India was that he required Professor of Philosophy of Law at the his policies in Tibet, to be forwarded to a specific type of travel insurance not University, noted that in contrast to the him by the court. readily available in India due to his health Chinese exhibition run by the Confucian condition. However, Palden Gyatso was Institute, the Institute of Human Rights • Chinese official Zhu Weiqun referred told in person at the embassy in Delhi did not receive any assistance from the to the rulings by the Spanish judges as that they did not know anything about his University of Valencia in the conference “malicious persecution” that was probably application, despite Valencia University about universal jurisdiction cases. He “plotted by the Dalai clique.” Professor issuing formal invitations that had been wrote: “It appears that this critical view Dr. Manuel Ollé Sesé, a specialist in acknowledged earlier. of the Chinese government and what Criminal Law and lawyer in the universal many of us consider genocide in Tibet, is jurisdiction cases for Tibet, Argentina After hearing about the latest rulings ill-timed. […] Nevertheless, despite these and Guatemala, said: “The surprise in the lawsuits, Tibetan monk Palden absences and difficulties, the conference would have been any other reaction. We Gyatso, who is 80, said that he could “die took place. There are many people – must remind China of two things: one, happy”. José Elías Esteve Moltó, main more than our prudent and realistic that a long time ago the international research lawyer and author of both cases, institutional authorities believe – who community agreed to establish that the and Alan Cantos from Comité de Apoyo want the University to remain a place of persecution of these crimes was an obligation of all the States and that they cannot be left unpunished.