His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Visit Europe: Press Release

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Tibet.net
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama will visit Rome, Venice (Italy) and Baden Baden (Germany). His Holiness will be conferred with Italian and German honours for his contribution to global peace and rights of Tibetans

Geneva: His Holiness the Dalai Lama will arrive in Rome, the capital of Italy on 8 February 2009 in the first leg of his visit to Europe. Rome and Venice will honour His Holiness the Dalai Lama for his contribution to world peace and human rights. In Baden Baden, Germany, His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be bestowed the Deutsche Medienpreis (the German Media Prize) for his spirit of "reconciliation, tolerance, humility and respect" and for representing "the non-violent struggle for the rights of the Tibetan people."

This is His Holiness the Dalai Lama's first trip abroad in 2009. The visit comes as Tibetans worldwide are preparing to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is visiting Rome at the invitation of its Mayor, Gianni Alemanno, to receive the honourary citizenship of Rome on 9 February. The Rome City Council had approved by an overwhelming majority a motion in September 2008 to the conferral of Honorary Citizenship to His Holiness for "his international efforts to find a peaceful solution for Tibet and for having affirmed the principles of human rights and peaceful conflict-resolution between nations."

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will then travel to Venice to receive that city's honourary citizenship. The Venice City Council unanimously approved a resolution for this purpose on 29 July 2008.

Media Control, one of Germany's leading market-research companies as well as an interpreter in media-studies, analysis, and evaluation, will present His Holiness the Dalai Lama the Deutsche Medienpreis (the German Media Prize) on 10 February in Baden Baden. A 20-member jury consisting of Germany's most important and influential media chief editors voted His Holiness the Dalai Lama for the 2008 Award.

The announcement said, "In a time of religious tension, self-destructive, addiction to profit and ongoing violations of human rights, the Dalai Lama actively advocates reconciliation, tolerance, humility and respect. He represents the non-violent struggle for the rights of the Tibetan people, a struggle he has been leading for over 50 years from exile in India." Previous recipients of the German award include Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, King Hussein of Jordan, and King Juan Carlos of Spain.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will return to India on 11 February.

Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for Central and Eastern Europe said, "His Holiness the Dalai Lama feels honoured to receive these awards in the spirit with which he received the 1989 Noble Peace Prize."

In His Holiness the Dalai Lama Nobel Peace lecture then, His Holiness had said, "The awarding of the Nobel Prize to me, a simple monk from far away Tibet ...fills us Tibetans with hope. It means that, despite the fact that we have not drawn attention to our plight by means of violence, we have not been forgotten... I am deeply touched by the sincere concern shown by so many people in this part of the world for the suffering of the people of Tibet. That is a source of hope not only for us Tibetans, but for all oppressed peoples."

"The visit to Italy and Germany by His Holiness the Dalai Lama comes at a time when the Tibetan people in Tibet are facing increasing Chinese crackdown," said Chhoekyapa. "The Chinese authorities in Tibet have launched a 42-day "Strike Hard" campaign on 18 January 2009 resulting in the arrest of over 5,766 Tibetans in Tibet and the crackdown has created great fear amongst the Tibetans," he added. The Tibetan leadership in exile has asked the Chinese authorities to immediately call-off the "Strike Hard" campaign.

In His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message to the Chinese community on the occasion of the Chinese New Year on 25 January 2009, His Holiness said, "I hope and pray that in the coming year the People's Republic of China will be able to create a meaningful harmonious society by ensuring equality, justice and friendship among all its nationalities."

--Issued by the Office of Tibet, Geneva

Contact details

7 - 10 February – Rome and Venice (Italy)

Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa
Italian mobile: +39 32 80 38 53 25
Swiss mobile: +41 79 533 93 10

10 – 11 February – Baden Baden (Germany)

Tseten Samdup Chhoekyapa
German mobile: +49 177 1728 836
Swiss mobile:     +41 79 533 93 10

Media interview opportunity by telephone during the visit

8 February      8am to 4pm
9 February      7am to 8.30am
        7.30pm to 9.30pm
10 February     6.30am to 8.00am
        6.30pm to 9.30pm
11 February     7am to 8.30am
        1.30pm to 6.30pm