119-sres283

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 283 Agreed to Senate

    (ATS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 283

Commemorating the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on 
July 6, 2025, as ``A Day of Compassion'' and expressing support for the 
 human rights and distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and 
 historical identity of the Tibetan people.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 June 17, 2025

 Mr. Merkley (for himself, Mr. Young, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Curtis, Ms. 
 Rosen, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Welch, Mr. Schumer, 
 Mr. Markey, Ms. Cantwell, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

 July 14, 2025

 Committee discharged; considered, amended, and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

Commemorating the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on 
July 6, 2025, as ``A Day of Compassion'' and expressing support for the 
 human rights and distinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and 
 historical identity of the Tibetan people.

Whereas July 6, 2025, marks the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai 
 Lama;
Whereas the 14th Dalai Lama was born in northeastern Tibet in 1935, was 
 enthroned as the 14th incarnation in 1940, and was called upon to assume 
 temporal leadership of Tibet in 1950 in response to a tumultuous time as 
 the newly established People's Republic of China sent its military to 
 seize control of Tibet;
Whereas the leader of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong, assured the 
 Dalai Lama that ``the Tibetan people have the right of exercising 
 national regional autonomy'' under Chinese rule and conveyed to the 
 Dalai Lama that Tibet's distinct religious and cultural traditions would 
 be respected, as reflected in the Seventeen Point Agreement of 1951;
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China, led by the Chinese 
 Communist Party, steadily eroded the Tibetan autonomy to which it 
 committed in the Seventeen Point Agreement through repressive political 
 and military actions, leading to tension, resistance, and ultimately the 
 Dalai Lama's exile in 1959;
Whereas, in March 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet after Chinese Communist forces 
 began shelling Lhasa and has since been residing in India, along with 
 tens of thousands of Tibetan refugees;
Whereas, for more than 7 decades, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has 
 significantly advanced greater understanding, tolerance, harmony, and 
 respect among the religious faiths of the world;
Whereas the Dalai Lama has led the effort to preserve the rich and distinct 
 cultural, religious, historical, and linguistic heritage of the people 
 of Tibet while working to safeguard other endangered cultures throughout 
 the world;
Whereas the Dalai Lama has been gravely concerned by the degraded state of the 
 environment of Tibet and the unchecked exploitation of the natural 
 resources of Tibet, including fresh water, because they have 
 implications not only for Tibetans, but also for the whole of Asia;
Whereas, beginning in 1979, the Dalai Lama has visited various parts of the 
 United States and subsequently gained the admiration of all levels of 
 society in the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States have consistently expressed their 
 appreciation for the culture and religion of Tibetan Buddhists, 
 including through their support of its preservation, and political and 
 diplomatic support for the Dalai Lama in his capacity as a spiritual 
 leader;
Whereas there is strong bipartisan support from successive Congresses and 
 Administrations for the Dalai Lama's vision for Tibet and the world and 
 for a negotiated resolution that leads to meaningful autonomy for 
 Tibetans that ensures they are able to freely practice their religion, 
 culture, and language;
Whereas, on October 17, 2007, Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to 
 the Dalai Lama, finding in the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold 
 Medal Act (Public Law 109-287; 120 Stat. 1231) that he is recognized 
 around the world as ``a leading figure of moral and religious 
 authority'' and is ``the unrivaled spiritual and cultural leader of the 
 Tibetan people'';
Whereas, wherever followers of Tibetan Buddhism reside, including Tibet, the 
 United States, Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Nepal, the Russian Federation, 
 and other countries around the world, those followers look to the Dalai 
 Lama for religious leadership and spiritual guidance;
Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds that ``[e]veryone has 
 the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion,'' including 
 the freedom to change religion or belief and to practice it in private 
 or public;
Whereas at least 159 Tibetans in Tibet are known to have self-immolated, with 
 statements or records left by many of them calling for freedom for Tibet 
 and the return of the Dalai Lama;
Whereas, in 1991, 

section 355 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal 
 Years 1992 and 1993 (Public Law 102-138; 105 Stat. 713) expressed the 
 sense of Congress that Tibet ``is an occupied country under the 
 established principles of international law'' and that ``Tibet's true 
 representatives are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile 
 as recognized by the Tibetan people'';
Whereas, in 1961, with the support of the United States, United Nations General 
 Assembly Resolution 1723 called for ``the cessation of practices which 
 deprive the Tibetan people of their fundamental human rights and 
 freedoms, including their right to self-determination'';
Whereas the Government of the People's Republic of China has interfered in the 
 identification and installation of reincarnated leaders of Tibetan 
 Buddhism as part of its efforts to maintain control over Tibet, 
 including, in 1995, arbitrarily detaining the then-recently identified 
 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, then a 6-year-old boy, and 
 installing China's own candidate, Gyaltsen Norbu, as Panchen Lama;
Whereas, in 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama declared that the responsibility for 
 identifying a future 15th Dalai Lama will ``primarily rest'' with 
 officials of Gaden Phodrang, the Dalai Lama's office, and that ``apart 
 from the reincarnation recognized through such legitimate methods, no 
 recognition or acceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for 
 political ends by anyone, including those in the People's Republic of 
 China'';
Whereas, in 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama initiated a historic devolution of power 
 to the Central Tibetan Administration, in which he formally renounced 
 his political role, transferring full democratic governance to an 
 elected Tibetan leadership, thereby ensuring a democratic and secular 
 political system for Tibet;
Whereas, on December 21, 2020, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 
 (subtitle E of title III of division K of Public Law 116-260; 134 Stat. 
 3119) was passed, strengthening the landmark Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 
 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), including by--

    (1) addressing the issue of water security and environmental 
destruction in Tibet;

    (2) providing humanitarian assistance and support for Tibetans in Tibet 
and in exile;

    (3) stipulating that the objectives of the United States Special 
Coordinator for Tibet include promoting ``substantive dialogue without 
preconditions, between the Government of the People's Republic of China and 
the Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically elected 
leaders of the Tibetan community'';

    (4) stating that it is the policy of the United States that ``decisions 
regarding the selection, education, and veneration of Tibetan Buddhist 
religious leaders are exclusively spiritual matters that should be made by 
the appropriate religious authorities within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition 
and in the context of the will of practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism'' and 
that the wishes of the 14th Dalai Lama ``should play a key role'' in the 
selection, education, and veneration of a future 15th Dalai Lama; and

    (5) stating that it is the policy of the United States to hold 
accountable, including through the imposition of sanctions, any officials 
of the People's Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party who 
directly interfere with the identification and installation of a future 
Dalai Lama;

Whereas, on July 12, 2024, the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute 
 Act (Public Law 118-70; 138 Stat. 1488) was signed into law, with the 
 Act affirming that it is the policy of the United States that the Tibet 
 issue must be resolved in accordance with international law by peaceful 
 means, through dialogue without preconditions, and that the People's 
 Republic of China should cease propagating disinformation about Tibet's 
 history, and stating that it is the sense of Congress that the People's 
 Republic of China's claims that Tibet has been part of the People's 
 Republic of China since ``ancient times'' are ``historically 
 inaccurate'';
Whereas the Central Tibetan Administration, the institution that represents and 
 reflects to the greatest extent the aspirations of the Tibetan diaspora 
 around the world, has officially decided to celebrate the 14th Dalai 
 Lama's 90th birth year as the ``Year of Compassion''; and
Whereas the 14th Dalai Lama has highlighted the oneness of humanity and has 
 dedicated his life to the promotion of compassion and human values and 
 is considered a leader of compassion by the international community: 
 Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) recognizes July 6, 2025, as a ``Day of Compassion'';

    (2) congratulates His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama on his 
 90th birthday and affirms its recognition of his outstanding 
 contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and mutual 
 respect within and across faiths;

    (3) affirms the Tibetan people's internationally recognized 
 human rights and fundamental freedoms, including their right to 
 exercise regional autonomy and to protect the distinct 
 religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity of the 
 Tibetan people;

    (4) reiterates, as outlined in the Tibetan Policy and 
 Support Act of 2020 (subtitle E of title III of division K of 
 Public Law 116-260), that the identification and installation 
 of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, including a future 15th 
 Dalai Lama, is a matter that should be determined by the 
 present 14th Dalai Lama and within the Tibetan Buddhist faith 
 community, in accordance with the inalienable right to 
 religious freedom;

    (5) reiterates that any attempt by the Government of the 
 People's Republic of China or any other government to recognize 
 a successor or reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama and any 
 future Dalai Lamas not selected by the Tibetan people would 
 represent a clear abuse of the right to religious freedom of 
 Tibetan Buddhists and the Tibetan people; and

    (6) requests that a copy of this resolution be presented to 
 His Holiness the Dalai Lama as an expression of its esteem and 
 respect.
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