[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 9, 2020)]
[House]
[Page H7061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          IN HONOR OF HUMAN RIGHTS DAY, FREE THE PANCHEN LAMA

  (Mr. McGOVERN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on Human Rights Day, we mark the adoption 
of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
  Mr. Speaker, 72 years ago, China was among the countries committing 
itself to the principle that ``all human beings are born free and equal 
in dignity and rights.'' In this spirit, I call on the Chinese 
Government to release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama.
  In May of 1995, only days after Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was chosen to 
serve as the 11th Panchen Lama, the Chinese Government kidnapped him 
and his family. The outside world has neither seen nor heard from them 
since. Chinese authorities tell the world that the Panchen Lama and his 
family are safe, and they say that they are well, but they refuse to 
allow anyone to visit and verify his well-being.
  Mr. Speaker, the Universal Declaration enshrines the rights to 
liberty and religious freedom and precludes arbitrary detention. China 
should honor its international obligations by freeing the true Panchen 
Lama.

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