Austin News

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a resolution today recognizing the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising, throughout March 1959. The resolution honors the struggle of the Tibetan people and the Dalai Lama for religious freedom and human rights. The resolution also condemns the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) human rights record and emphasizes the rights of Tibetans to national identity, culture, and religion.

In his statement, Sen. Cruz expressed, “The Chinese Communist Party has persecuted Tibetans and denied them of their religious liberty for decades. I am proud to lead this resolution honoring the Tibetan people’s fight for religious freedom and the Dalai Lama’s contributions. The United States must not forget the CCP’s deplorable human rights abuses that have stripped the Tibetan people of their rights and freedoms.”

On March 10, 1959, protests broke out in Lhasa, Tibet, as Tibetans feared the abduction of the Dalai Lama by local People’s Republic of China (PRC) military authorities. Subsequently, on March 17, 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet to India, where he continues to reside in exile in Dharamsala at the age of 88. Despite his advocacy for the rights of Tibetans through peaceful means, the CCP has refused to engage with him or address the issues he raises.

The Dalai Lama's decades-long commitment to non-violent advocacy for the religious and cultural rights of Tibetans contrasts sharply with the CCP's ongoing repression of the Tibetan people, deepening its suppression despite international concern.

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