Human Rights Violations in Tibet: Dekyi Methok

Chinese Military Force in Tibet -  Photo: Media File

By Dekyi Methok

Do you have any interest in learning the real situation in Tibet? If yes, I would like to draw your attention to the fact. Please visit this blog post to read the report and offer your moral support for the Tibetan cause. TIBETANS NEED YOU!

Red China subjugator-Chinese PLA in Tibet 1951 - Photo: Media File

Self-immolation in Lhasa, Tibet - Photo: Media File

China cracks down on Tibet - Photo: Media File

Introduction

Tibet was once an independent country with its rich culture and unique religion, but in 1950s, the newly established Communist Chinese invaded Tibet completely. His Holiness Dalai Lama was forced to flee to India in 1959. Since that time, over a million Tibetans have been killed and more than 6000 monasteries have been destroyed in Tibet. Tibetan people lost freedom of speech and religion and every right.

As a result of China’s occupation, today Tibet still remains as an oppressed and violated nation; Tibetan people still suffer threats, abuses, detention, punishments and severe violence. They are being tortured and shot whenever they express their desire of freedom. Many of them encountered discrimination when seeking employment or travelling in the mainland of China. Tibetan people are restricted to travel to the outside world, and the Chinese authorities often close Tibet to foreigners, especially during sensitive occasions in Tibet. Anyway, the brave Tibetans continue fighting for freedom through peaceful marches and self-immolations protesting against the harsh Chinese rules. Since 2009, there were 154 Tibetans who self-immolated in Tibet drawing attention from the outside world, highlighting harsh Chinese rule and oppression as well as purifying the force of truth in Tibet.

Aim of this report is to bring out information about current situation in Tibet, expose the suffering of the Tibetan people inside Tibet and testify on human rights violation in Tibet.

This report will cover political oppression and violence, cultural and religious suppression, social and economic discrimination, environmental destruction and restricting information in Tibet. (Human Rights Watch, 2000) (Press Trust of India, 2017) (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Political Oppression and Violence

Chinese authorities have carried out various mass-surveillance policies in Tibet. Tibetans face intense surveillance every single day in their life, security cameras and police checkpoints are everywhere in Tibet. Tibetans’ movements and activities have been monitored and their peaceful protests are repressed with severe violence, torture and even shot on the spot. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018. Annual Report 2017)

Tibetan people usually face arrests and sentences for doing peaceful acts, such as holding the Tibetan national flag or the Dalai Lama’s photos, calling for the return of the Dalai Lama and sending local information or conditions outside Tibet. Many of them are forced to disappear for a long time and their whereabouts remained unknown. (Human Rights Watch, 2000) (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Tibetan protesters are often charged with “separatism” and not allowed to choose their own lawyers. During the trials, they are sentenced in prison from 5 to 15 years or up to 15, including the death penalty. (Human Rights Watch, 2000) (Press Trust of India, 2017) (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Cultural and Religious Suppression

The Tibetan national flag, national anthem and the Dalai Lama’s photos are strictly banned in Tibet. Tibetan officers and students are not allowed to go to monasteries for prayers or pilgrimages. Their words and deeds are being monitored and controlled directly by the Chinese authorities. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Many Tibetan famous writers, teachers, artists and singers are imprisoned for speaking out against Chinese rule or celebrating Tibetan national identities. The religious activities at monasteries and nunneries are fully under Chinese communist restriction. Chinese security forces always keep patrolling near monasteries and nunneries. (Human Rights Watch, 2000) (Press Trust of India, 2017) (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

The Tibetan language is completely deferent from Chinese, but Chinese communism has replaced the Tibetan language with Chinese as the official language of government, education and business in Tibet, which is disadvantaging Tibetans and threatening the Tibetans’ mother tongue. Due to China’s crackdown on Tibet, the Tibetan language is facing threat of extinction. (Human Rights Watch, 2000) (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Social and Economic Discrimination

In Tibet, the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party are all Chinese; no Tibetan has ever been appointed to the higher-ranked position as Party Secretary. The government of China has encouraged Han Chinese migration into Tibet and offers every beneficial job to Han Chinese. The purpose of implementing this policy is to make Tibetans a minority in their own land. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Tibetans travel from local to other regions in Tibet is restricted. Every police checkpoint is monitoring the movement of Tibetan people. All permits are required if Tibetans visit “sensitive ” areas in Tibet. (Press Trust of India, 2017)

The most difficult travel for Tibetans is international. Many Tibetans are obliged to escape from Tibet to India for a better future. If they fail in their escape attempts or are caught on the way they face brutality. The Chinese frontier forces heavily control all the borders surrounding Tibet. Therefore in recent years, Tibetans are unable to escape from Tibet. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017) (Press Trust of India, 2017)

Environmental Destruction

Tibet has rich natural resources, including copper, gold, silver, aluminum, lead and iron. Chinese communism has started numerous mining and damming projects on the sacred grassland of Tibet in the name of development, which caused serious environmental degradation and caused pollution and the destruction of the landscape. (Human Rights Watch, 2000) (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Under Chinese so-called development, more than ten thousands Tibetan nomads were forced to move from their land to Chinese official urban settlements. Tibetans used to protest against mining, damming and relocating nomads’ projects, but all in vain, on the contrary they are treated with violence and repression by the Chinese security forces. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

The Chinese policy on relocating Tibetan nomads is using the name of “Poverty Alleviation”, but in reality, Tibetan nomads were forced into debt from the bank to pay three-quarters of the cost of their new and poor quality housing, and most of Tibetan nomads in urban settlement face poverty and unemployment. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Restricting Information

Chinese authorities always keep controlling the information from inside Tibet to outside Tibet. Tibetans’ social media, email and telephone communications are strictly monitored and censored by the Chinese forces. Communications in Tibet are often blacked out after protests occurred. (Press Trust of India, 2017) (Human Rights Watch, 2000)

Tibetans’ freedom of speech has continued to be severely restricted and sharing information is always in further restriction. If they speak, they are definitely arrested and undergo lengthy sentences. (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)

Chinese authorities usually promote Tibet as being open to the world, but foreign journalists, human rights organizations and diplomats have been denied entry into Tibet. If they gained access, they would be closely chaperoned by Chinese officials. (Press Trust of India, 2017)

Conclusion

The Chinese authorities use violent tactics towards Tibetan people and continuously maintain control in Tibet. The authorities have expanded the “Patriotic Re-education Campaigns ” all over Tibet and forced Tibetans to participate.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan government in exile and Tibetan non-governmental organisations repeatedly urge the Chinese authorities to stop human rights violations in Tibet and call on the International Community to investigate the causes of unrest in Tibetan areas, but “the human rights situation in Tibet and personal freedom are always in a poor and worsening state.” (Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018.Annual Report 2017)


References

Human Rights Watch, 2000. Human Rights Violations in Tibet. [Online]
Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2000/06/13/human-rights-violations-tibet
[Accessed 16 11 2018].

Press Trust of India, 2017. Top US lawmakers slam China for human rights violations in Tibet, praise India for accommodating refugees. [Online]
Available at: https://www.firstpost.com/world/top-us-lawmakers-slam-china-for-human-rights-violations-in-tibet-praise-india-for-accommodating-refugees-4246551.html
[Accessed 16 11 2018].

Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, 2018. Human Right Situation in Tibet -Annual Report 2017. [Online]
Available at: http://tchrd.org/2017-annual-report-on-human-rights-situation-in-tibet/
[Accessed 16 11 2018].