In a resolution submitted on 21 January 1997, the U.S. Senate strongly condemned the PRC’s human rights record. The resolution refers to the arrest of Tibetan scholar Ngawang Choephel as a reflection of “the systematic attempt by the government of the People’s Republic of China to repress cultural expression in Tibet” and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.
The resolution further draws attention to the establishment of discriminatory development programs by the PRC which have resulted in an overwhelming flow of Chinese immigrants into Tibet, and to the withholding of meaningful participation in the governance of Tibet from Tibetans. The resolution has been referred to the U.S. Committee on Foreign Relations.