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Senior Czech parliamentarians have issued a series of strongly worded statements condemning a new Chinese law on ethnic unity, warning that it represents a further escalation of Beijing’s efforts to suppress the cultural, religious, and linguistic identity of Tibetans and other ethnic minorities.

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Parliamentarian Hayato Okamura, Chair of the Czech Parliamentary Group for Tibet at the Chamber of Deputies, said the law would deepen the restrictions already faced by Tibetans. “As the chair of the Tibetan friendship group of the Chamber of the Deputies of the parliament of the Czech Republic, I would like to express my serious concern about the new Chinese Ethnic law,” he said. “The law means further restrictions for the Tibetan people, further pressure on their language, cultural and religious identity.”

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Senator Přemysl Rabas, Chair of the Czech Parliamentary Group for Tibet at the Senate, framed the law as a direct threat to the survival of Tibetan culture. “The strength of the nation is not given solely by its size but also by respect and tolerance towards other nations,” Rabas said. “The Ethnic Unity law adopted by the People’s Republic of China may be regarded as a tool for cultural genocide against ethnic minorities. I wish China to find sufficient respect for history, art, culture and language, and for Tibetans.”

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The Vice-President of the Czech Senate Hon’ble Jiri Oberfalzer went further, describing the legislation as part of a broader pattern of forced assimilation that breaches international and even Chinese domestic law. “The Chinese Law on Ethnic Unity and Progress is yet another step toward the complete implementation of ethnic cleansing and the suppression of religious freedom,” the Vice-President said. “It amounts to forced assimilation of various minorities, which violates the UN Human Rights Charter and even the constitution of the People’s Republic of China. It is in fact legalisation of genocide of all minorities. The state with such an approach to its people can’t be a member of global society of developed democratic countries.”

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