Czech government party officials among pro-Tibet demonstrators

Martin Bursik, Czech junior government Green Party (SZ) chairman and environment minister, SZ deputy Katerina Jacques and Senator Jaromir Stetina (for the Greens), today attended a demonstration in support of Tibet staged by the Czech Amnesty International outside of the Chinese embassy.

The demonstrators unveiled Tibetan flags and posters calling for human rights observance in Tibet.

Many Czech towns today put up Tibetan flags thus joining world wide campaign commemorating the 50th anniversary of the failed Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule that led to the Tibetan spiritual leader’s escape to northern India in 1959.

"On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the uprising we met today to point out that the current situation in Tibet is the worst in the past decades," Bohumil Cap from AI said.

The protest outside the Chinese embassy, attended by about 150 people and monitored by 15 policemen, was also aimed against the planned an EU-Chinese summit that is to take place in Prague in May.

"We will mention the question of human rights at the summit," Bursik said.

The organisers have prepared two appeals – one addressed to the Chinese ambassador and the other to the Czech government.

The situation in Tibet is tense and resembles martial law. The Chinese authorities are tightening repressions in the region, the Dalai Lama’s emissary Tashi Wangdi told CTK today.

He called on the EU and the Czech Republic, which is holding the rotating six-month EU presidency, to emphasise human rights during meetings with Chinese representatives.