WASHINGTON (RNS) Human rights groups have asked President Obama to press for religious freedom for Chinese people and Tibetans as he travels through Asia next week.
“We urge you to raise critical issues of religious freedom and the rule of law with Chinese officials, seek meetings with prominent human rights defenders and repressed religious leaders, and make a strong public statement about the importance of human rights to the future of U.S.-China relations,” wrote Leonard Leo, chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, in a Nov. 10 letter to Obama.
The International Campaign on Tibet also wrote Obama, urging him to help coordinate a meeting between Tibetan leader Dalai Lama and Chinese President Hu Jintao.
“It is clear to us that no efforts will yield positive results as long as the Chinese government continues to vilify His Holiness and propagandize against the Tibetan people who remain committed to a peaceful resolution,” wrote actor Richard Gere, the campaign’s chairman of the board in an Oct. 31 letter.
USCIRF, an independent body created by Congress, said China has “accommodated some religious practices,” but Christians and Tibetan Buddhists, among others, continue to be repressed.
A National Security Council official said Monday (Nov. 9) he expects Obama will discuss religious freedom and other rights issues.
“The President will raise human rights concerns directly with President Hu in his meetings,” said Jeffrey Bader, the council’s senior director for East Asian Affairs. The “kinds of issues that are on our minds are issues of freedom of expression, access to information, freedom of religion, rule of law, and certainly Tibet. I have every reason to expect that the issue of Tibet will come up on the trip,” Bader said in a conference call with reporters.