Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., is concerned about the 2015 death of Tibetan activist Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, and wants the Obama administration to take a tougher stance on Chinese human rights abuses.
Tenzin died in Chuandong Prison in Sichuan Province after 12 years of imprisonment in July 2015, in a case that was followed internationally.
Capuano suggests in a new proposed House resolution, H. Res. 584, that “each time the president meets with Chinese officials, [he] publicly call for an end to the repressive policies used by the People’s Republic of China in Tibet.”
Capuano further “urges the People’s Republic of China to immediately halt suppression of the religious, cultural, social, economic and environmental rights of the Tibetan people” and asks the House to “[affirm] that violations of human rights in general … are matters of legitimate concern to all governments committed to the rule of law and to free people worldwide.”
Capuano also seeks an independent investigation into Tenzin’s death.
China has a fraught history with Tibet. It annexed the region in the 1950s, forcing its spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, into exile in neighboring India. Tibetan Buddhists seek independence from China, or at least a level of autonomy to make it possible for the Dalai Lama to return home. No easy task, as the leader has spent a lifetime criticizing Chinese action and building alliances, like Capuano’s, in the West.
Capuano is careful to note though that he seeks only a tougher tone on China, not a severing of ties with the world’s second largest economy.
Capuano told the Washington Examiner, “Some people look at these things as somehow I’m opposed to China, which I am not.
“They are not the only country in the world with human rights concerns. I would hope that these kinds of things, when raised, that they should be looking into themselves, restraining themselves in such matters, so that they continue their own path towards becoming a leader in the world,” Capuano said.
That being said, Capuano supports Tibetan independence, and urges actions toward making that a reality. Any and all improvements on the status quo would be welcome.
“I fully support self-determination,” Capuano said. “Even if they can’t get independence, which I understand, at least they could have some sort of self economy, like we do with states, or some other form. I’m not trying to impose our system on China. But, it’s a far distance from where they are, to where they should be.
“We’ve expressed our concerns to the administration,” Capuano said, before adding that his resolution, if passed, would not be legally compulsory.
Still, Capuano is optimistic of Republican support. “There are a lot of Republicans who claim to be, and I believe have been in the past, interested in human rights,” Capuano said.
The death of Tenzin spurred Capuano to action.
The Massachusetts legislator relayed that he was not following this particular case in depth (“not too often — it just came to our attention”), but when he read of the circumstances of Tenzin’s death and imprisonment, he was disappointed, as he has been involved in “monitoring Chinese human rights for a long time.”
Capuano believes though, in the human rights arena, the administration of Chinese President Xi Jinping is a mild improvement over his predecessor, Hu Jintao.
“It seems that they’ve gotten a little bit better under the new president. It seems like they’ve made small steps forward in the least. I’ve been doing this now for almost 20 years. First 20 years, we were doing [resolutions like these] pretty regularly. Now, they seem to have slowed down,” Capuano said.
Through all this, Capuano has been careful to strike a critical, but measured tone.
“I hope this is simply one friend reminding one friend that there are higher goals,” Capuano said.
