Tibet continues to witness human rights violations - Report

Tibetans at a religious ceremony. [Photo: Twitter/@BarkhorLhasa]

A report by a Canada-based think tank group said that Human Rights Violation continues to take place in Tibet despite the Chinese Communist Party’s promise to improve the situation.

The report by International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) says that there are growing concerns about infringements on religious practices.

The report cites incidents where a Buddha and Padmasambhava Statues were demolished as well as absurd claims of selecting the next Dalia Lama, and detaining people from sharing the demolition videos as the recent examples of the violation.

Apart from that Chinese authorities have also put restrictions on the usage of the Tibetan language all over the region.

Notably, Tibetans inside Tibet constantly face injustices in terms of getting jobs. The exams for civil services being only conducted in Chinese deprives a section of Tibetans who are more comfortable in their own language and can excel in Tibetan.

All these injustices and violations of basic human rights in Tibet sicken Tibetan People., the think tank said.

Chinese authority posed heavy restrictions on communication into and out of Tibetan areas, with particularly harsh treatment for those who associate with Tibetan living in India as a refuge.

Citing a Freedom House Report, IFFRAS said that yet again Tibet came off as the second least free country after Syria, and South Sudan.

In March 2021, Chinese authorities deployed around 2,000 people to inspect Tibetan rural communities and enforce tighter travel restrictions, mainly near international borders in the South.

According to a recent media report, the Chinese government has increased its restriction on the Tibetan Language on various online platforms and video streaming services.

“China-based language learning app Talkmate and video streaming service Bilibili have now removed the Tibetan and Uyghur languages from their sites,” Phayul reported citing Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) sources.

It is further reported that the Chinese government ordered in December last year that from March 1, foreign organizations or individuals can’t share online religious content videos in China or Tibet without a proper license.

Recently, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy reported that Kunchok Tsepal, 52, a prominent Tibetan writer, teacher, and environmentalist who was sentenced to 15 years in 2009 by the Chinese authorities was released on March 18 after serving 13 years in prison, IFFRAS said.

Chinese troops occupied Tibet in 1950 and later annexed it. The 1959 Tibetan uprising saw violent clashes between Tibetan residents and Chinese forces.