The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has published a report in Tibetan on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) so-called “Mass Line Campaign” in Tibetan areas. The report titled lam chok mar po (The Red Path) documents the human rights violations caused by the ‘mass line’ political campaign in Tibet.
Under the direction of Xi Jinping, the president of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the CCP has launched a Mass Line political campaign throughout China, reminiscent of Mao Zedong’s rectification campaign, and aimed at eliminating all opposition, both real and perceived. Under the guise of combatting corruption, the CCP has begun striking hard upon both the “tigers and flies.” As of now, more than hundred senior figures of the party have been indicted and punished under this campaign, including former head of China’s security Zhou Yongkang, sentenced to life in prison in June this year. Moreover, under slogans such as “the Four Misdeeds” and “Eight Principles” meant to “clean up the Party,” grassroots officials have been subjected to investigation for corruption and misuse of power.
All these campaigns—purportedly aimed at creating a “society based on rule of law” and establishing a “flesh and bone” relationship between the masses and the Chinese Communist Party—have led to the implementation of repressive policies in Tibetan areas, causing severe human rights violations of the Tibetan people. However, under the leadership of Xi Jinping, over the past three years Mass Line campaign has led to severe repression and worsening of human rights violations of the Tibetan people.
For instance, under the Mass Line campaign the Chinese government has dispatched huge numbers of officials to Tibetan rural areas. Through a combination of carrot and stick policy, that is promising economic incentive and issuing threats of physical violence, the CCP is making further attempts to increase the number of party members and strengthen control at the grass root level.
Towards this end, various levels of official positions are being created. These included what is known as Du Pon (leader of a single household), Ru Pon (leader of a group of households), Dra Dag (leader of the internet surveillance), De Pon (leader of the village: each enforcing their own repressive measures and is subordinate to the leader of the local CCP. Such a system of strict control and hierarchy, including the massive networks of surveillance system called “the grid” in the countryside is being repackaged and promoted to the outside world as “establishing a society based on ruled of law.”
This report is an in-depth study of the Mass Line campaign being implemented all over China and Tibet. It focuses specially on the Tibetan countryside, in Tibetan villages, where the campaign has managed to increase the repressive control of the party by expanding its membership, building a network of internet surveillance, and providing economic allurements known as “mass welfare and mass stability” to buy Tibetan loyalty. The report documents that the repressive campaigns have helped create a ‘red slavish society’, turning the Tibetan countryside into an invisible prison.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a signatory to the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. However, the Chinese government continues to renege on its promises to abide by international human right law enshrined in these treaties and conventions, by following a racist and covert colonial policy towards Tibetans in Tibet. The severe forms of human rights violations do not just concern Tibetans but more than a billion PRC citizens who form almost 20% of the global population.
It is hoped that the publication of this report will shed much needed light upon the implementation of the “mass line” campaign and its consequent violations of Tibetan people’s human rights. We hope the report will serve as a useful resource for human rights organizations, NGOs, activists and other relevant organizations in putting pressure upon the Chinese government to end its human rights violations of the Tibetan people.
In the coming weeks, TCHRD will publish translations of this report in English and Chinese.
To download the report in Tibetan, click here.