This year the Pilsen Region supported not only the international campaign Flag for Tibet but also the humanistic values and emphasis on the protection of human rights. The flag was hoisted on the building of the Pilsen Regional Office on March 10 to mark the 64th anniversary of the Tibetan uprising against the Chinese occupation of Tibet in Lhasa.
More than 80 000 Tibetans died in the 1959 uprising, and a million more died in labour camps, prisons and famine in the following years. “By flying the Tibetan flag again, especially one year after the start of the war in Ukraine, we want to promote universal humanist values and also highlight the protection of human rights around the world. The flag is one of the most powerful symbols for Tibetans and displaying it means a threat of imprisonment. As a region, we are also joining the international Flag for Tibet campaign this year, which highlights the long-standing human rights violations in Tibet,” says Rudolf Špoták, Governor of the Pilsen Region. He also added that the Pilsen Region will support the education of Tibetan youth.
The Czech Republic has been joining the solidarity campaign since 1996, when the first four cities raised the Tibetan flag. Last year, a total of 844 cities, towns, municipal districts or regions joined the campaign. A number of events in support of Tibet are taking place across the country throughout March. The Flag for Tibet campaign is primarily symbolic and an expression of solidarity with the Tibetan people. It was created in the mid-1990s in Western Europe to commemorate the violent suppression of the Tibetan uprising in Lhasa in 1959.