The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) in collaboration with Tibetan Women’s Association (TWA) today launched a public awareness campaign to improve and strengthen Tibetan democracy. Through a series of activities focused on awareness raising and free and open public discussion, the campaign targets the exile Tibetan community including individuals, grassroots and civil society groups, as well as…
Larung Gar, the world’s largest Tibetan Buddhist institute, resembles a sliced melon, a year after Chinese authorities dismantled thousands of monastic residences and evicted Buddhist practitioners in Larung valley in Tibet’s Serthar (Ch: Seda) County in Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The famed institute which used to house thousands of Buddhist practitioners has been divided into several…
Today is the 28th birthday of Tibet’s 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who went missing 22 years ago along with his parents after they were detained by Chinese officials in Tibet. The Panchen Lama’s case has become one of the world’s longest enforced disappearances, the answer to which is considered a top state secret by the Chinese government. The…
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) condemns the unlawful and arbitrary detention of Mr Tashi Wangchuk for his peaceful advocacy of Tibetan language education and calls for his immediate release.
Today we celebrate the 68th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The rights and freedoms enshrined in the UDHR affirm that we are born free and equal, endowed with inherent rights to freedom of movement, expression, thought, privacy, religion, assembly, and a decent livelihood.
The PRC’s brazen attempts to censor the German politician drew harsh criticism from international onlookers and provided an example of China’s growing ambition to suppress human rights both at home and internationally.
Today is the 27th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the reincarnate of the previous 10th Panchen Lama, one of the most important spiritual leaders of Tibet. On 17 May 1995, three days after His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized him as the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his parents disappeared from their home never to be heard or seen again.
Despite various appeals and campaigns from governmental and non-governmental organizations over the years, the Chinese government has not provided any concrete or verifiable evidence to support its claims that the Panchen Lama is living “a normal, happy life and receiving a good cultural education” and that he “does not want to be disturbed”. On 6 September 2015, responding to media queries, Norbu Dhondup, a senior official with the United Front Work Department of Tibet Autonomous Region reiterated these claims but failed to provide any evidence. The failure to provide any credible evidence on the condition and whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama makes the Chinese government guilty of the crime of enforced disappearance.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has received the tragic news that Chinese prison officials have cremated Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body and still have his remains in their custody.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was a prominent reincarnate lama and a highly-revered spiritual leader who died in prison while serving life imprisonment for a crime he never committed. He was in his 13th year of imprisonment when he died on 12 July.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is deeply shocked and saddened by the unexpected death of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, aged 65 years old, serving a life imprisonment at Chuandong Prison near Chengdu city, capital of Sichuan Province in People’s Republic of China (PRC). The arrest and sentencing of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and his disciple Lobsang Dhondup demonstrates the Chinese government’s blatant disregard of fundamental human rights for Tibetans and is in violation of both international law and domestic Chinese laws.
There were many problems that took place throughout the legal process for both Rinpoche and Dhondup, from their arbitrary arrests, to their unjust sentencing in Chinese courts and their treatment following their criminal trials. This includes: the arbitrary nature of their arrests; the denial of adequate and fair legal defense for the detainees; the lack of adequate and concrete evidence to support their convictions; the absence of presumption of innocence during their criminal trials; closed and unfair trials; the use of coercive interrogation and torture on the detainees; the denial of visitation rights for the detainees; the denial of the right to be informed for the detainee’s families; arbitrary arrest and sentencing of relatives of the detainees; and, the quick implementation of Dhondup’s execution sentence lessened the chances for Rinpoche to receive a fair retrial.
Today marks the 13th anniversary of Tulku Tenzin Delek’s arbitrary and unjust arrest on 7 April 2002. His arrest eventually led to life imprisonment. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is a revered Tibetan Buddhist lama from Lithang, Kardze, Kham, in present-day Sichuan Province. He is known for his campaigns to restore Tibetan culture and religion, social welfare activities and his criticism of repressive Chinese policies in Tibet. On 5 December 2002, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and his nephew were respectively sentenced to death with two years’ reprieve and death sentence. They were accused of being involved in a series of bomb attacks in Chengdu on 3 April 2003. Lobsang Dhondup was executed but Rinpoche’s death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment due to pressure from the world community.
Sixty-six years ago, on 10 December 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a fundamental part of the international human rights system and, along with the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, is part of the international bill of human rights. Since 1950, every people and countries across the world have commemorated 10 December as Human Rights Day.
‘Human Rights-365’ is the theme of Human Rights Day this year. ‘Human Rights-365’ recognizes that human rights must be protected and defended every day.