06. Oct 2009
Dalai Lama honoured in Washington with Human Rights Award
(AFP; VOA) The Dalai Lama has received an award in Washington honouring his work for human rights around the world. The speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, presented the Dalai Lama with the first-ever Lantos Human Rights Prize. The award is from the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice. Ms Pelosi said the Tibetan spiritual leader has fought for human rights with courage, passion and humility. The award was established in honour of the late US House Representative Tom Lantos, who was a key supporter of Tibetan rights and instrumental in inviting the Dalai Lama to speak before the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1987. In response to the award, in a statement posted on the ministry's website, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu said: "We urge some members of the U.S. Congress to respect the history and the facts, recognize the true face of Dalai Lama, stop using the Tibet issue to interfere in China's internal affairs".