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Ros-Lehtinen Says Chinese Aggression in Tibet Purges Free Speech, Reflects True Nature of Communist Regime
December 29, 2008
NEWSHouse Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican
CONTACT: Sam Stratman, (202) 226-7875, December 29, 2008
Alex Cruz, (202) 225-2800
http://foreignaffairs.republicans.house.gov
For IMMEDIATE Release
Ros-Lehtinen Says Chinese Aggression in Tibet
Purges Free Speech, Reflects True Nature of Communist Regime
(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today condemned the Chinese regime’s increasing human rights violations, including its recent crackdown against Tibetan citizens under charges of “spreading of rumors,” which resulted in the arrest of 59 Tibetans.
Chinese authorities have been investigating cases of “rumor spreading” since March and have accused the Dalai Lama of instigation, claiming that the alleged “rumors” posed a public security risk by damaging the image of the Communist party.
“This secretive crack down is part of the Chinese regime’s all-encompassing conspiracy to squash any hint of dissent. It is abundantly clear that these arrests had no other purpose than to help maintain the subjugation of Tibet,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
The special police unit which led the crack down is also in charge of eliminating illegal internet downloads, a key component of China’s efforts to control and censor information critical of the regime.
“China claims to be a modern and responsible government, but it has created a realm where free speech is suppressed in order to hide its abysmal human rights record,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
“The people of Tibet, along with Falun Gong practitioners, North Korean refugees, and ordinary Chinese citizens, continue to suffer under an oppressive governing system overseen by a regime whose paramount concern is its supremacy and survival,” Ros-Lehtinen said.