Mr. Speaker, on December 2, the suspension of the death sentence against Tenzin Delek Rinpoché, a Tibetan Buddhist lama who is well known and highly respected in his region, will come to an end and he will be in danger of execution by the Chinese authorities.
Accused of “causing explosions and inciting separatism”, he has never been found guilty in a fair trial. He has been imprisoned for two years and there are reports that he has been tortured.
This situation is unacceptable and highly reprehensible as far as human rights and the cause of the people of Tibet are concerned. We demand that the Government of Canada take action. It is imperative that the People's Republic of China review its position on Tibetan political prisoners and respect the rights and religious freedoms of this people.
We in turn must stop subordinating human rights to economic and trade imperatives. We therefore wish to see the Government of Canada bring pressure to bear on the Chinese authorities to stay the execution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoché and see that he is entitled to a new trial, this time a fair trial in compliance with international legal standards.