Thirty-eight Members of the United States House of Representatives have signed on as co-sponsors of a resolution (H. RES. 157) calling on China to immediately release Phuntsog Nyidron (also spelled as Phuntsok Nyidrol) and all other Tibetan prisoners of conscience.
The resolution was introduced on March 20, 2003 by Representative Tom Udall (D-NM) to express the sense of the House of Representatives regarding several individuals who are being held as prisoners of conscience by the Chinese Government for their involvement in efforts to end the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
The resolution recalls the history of Tibet’s separate status and the current plight of the Tibetan political prisoners, specifically the group of nuns collectively known as the Drapchi 14, because of their participation in recording songs from Drapchi prison which invoked their love of Tibet and religious beliefs. Of the fourteen, only two remain in prison, incluidng Phuntsog Nyidron who is serving a 17-year sentence due to expire in 2005.
The resolution is currently awaiting consideration by the House International Relations Committee. You can find the full text of the resolution here.