|
 Update:
His Holiness the Dalai Lama awarded Congressional Gold Medal!
His Holiness the Dalai Lama has been
awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award bestowed to
civilians by the US Congress, in recognition for his "many enduring
and outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, human rights, and
religious understanding."
The
Congressional Gold Medal is conferred by Congress on
behalf of the American people to show gratitude and support for the
contributions made by outstanding individuals. Past recipients
include Nelson Mandela, Elie Wiesel, and global religious figures,
like Pope John Paul II.
A big thank you to the International Campaign for Tibet for
spearheading this campaign and to all the SFT members in the US who
contacted their representatives and encouraged them to co-sign this
momentous bill, which enjoyed bipartisan support in both the House and
the Senate. The final number of co-signers was 387, representing over
two-thirds of Congress.
Click here to read the full text of the Dalai Lama
Congressional Gold Medal Bill.
This award closely follows the Canadian Parliament’s unanimous
decision to confer honorary Canadian citizenship to the Dalai Lama in
July. The decision by both the Canadian and American governments
to publicly recognize the Dalai Lama for his unwavering commitment to
resolving the Tibet issue peacefully is not only monumental but also
very timely. Recently, Chinese officials in Tibet have increased their
propaganda efforts to portray the Dalai Lama as a "splittist" and a
"false religious leader". Beijing's representatives in Washington and
Ottawa reacted strongly to the news, registering complaints with the
American and Canadian governments.
But truth has prevailed and the message to the Chinese government is
clear; even after almost six decades, the international community will
not accept China’s illegal occupation of Tibet.
Tibetan freedom is inevitable.
Students for a Free Tibet |
