DECLARATION

Of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland
of August 24, 2001

regarding Solidarity of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland with the
Tibetan Nation


The Sejm of the Republic of Poland hereby expresses solidarity with the Tibetan Nation and with its efforts towards guaranteeing respect for fundamental human rights in Tibet.

Under no circumstances whatsoever can injustice be accepted, especially when it affects nations striving for the right to determine their own fate and future. In Poland's times of hardship, many nations refused to accept the injustices to which Poland was subject by expressing their solidarity with the Polish Nation. Today, keeping in mind the assistance and support once received, Polish parliamentarians cannot possibly be silent while other nations suffer under the weight of oppression.

For many years now, information about the tragedy of the Tibetan Nation has reached Poland. The Chinese authorities brutally frustrate all aspirations of freedom among Tibetans, and are actively engaged in a policy to alter Tibet's demographic structure. As a consequence, Tibetans may soon be a minority in their own country.

The Sejm of a Free Poland is committed to continuing its efforts in the international forum in support of the actual implementation of the United Nations' resolutions concerning Tibet, including Resolution 1353 (adopted in 1959), Resolution 1723 (adopted in 1961), and Resolution 2079 (adopted in 1965). These resolutions explicitly recognize the right of the Tibetan Nation to self-determination, guaranteed by genuine autonomy, and call upon Communist China to stop its practice of violating the fundamental human rights and freedoms of the Tibetan people.

As a necessary precondition to reaching a resolution, we call on the Government of China to enter into negotiations with the Dalai Lama, the supreme spiritual and political authority of Tibetans and the sole recognized representative of the Tibetan Nation. The Chinese authorities must respect the religious identity of the Tibetan people and the heritage of their several thousand year old civilization. We are deeply convinced that only through consistent and resolved demands that the oppression cease, will the fate of the Tibetan Nation improve.
 

Speaker of the Sejm
(signature)
Maciej Plazynski


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