The events of 11 September 2001 caused a paradigm shift in international concern over human rights. While most states have measures in place to ensure the security of their citizens, others are taking advantage of the 11 September attacks to justify internal repression. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a distinct case in point. TCHRD is concerned that China…
The summer and autumn of 2001 saw the dismantling of the leading centre for Buddhist scholarship and practice on the Tibetan plateau. In the 21 years of its existence, Serthar Institute (known as Larung Gar) had expanded from a solitary mountain hermitage to a spiritual oasis for over 8,000 monks, nuns, and lay students. Khenpo Jigme Phunstok founded Sertahr Institute…
Anxiety begin to grip the Tibetans as Chadrel Rinpoche, the 62-year-old former abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and Head of the Search Committee to identify the successor of the 10th Panchen Lama, fail to make an appearance even after expiry of his six years’ prison term May this year. Arrested on 17 May 1995 for “colluding with separatist forces”, Chadrel Rinpoche received court sentence only after two years.
According to information received by TCHRD, Tibetans in Lhasa and Shigatse including the monks of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery express grave concern over the dearth of news concerning Rinpoche’s expected release, his present whereabouts and health condition. Chadrel Rinpoche’s prison term of six years was to expire in May 2001. With no information available on Rinpoche’s release, the apprehension that Rinpoche might not actually be alive has become a daunting speculation.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) today released a report entitled “Drapchi Prison: Tibet’s Most Dreaded Prison”. The 70-page report provides insight into one of the most notorious prisons in Chinese-occupied Tibet based on reliable information gathered over the years.
“Through this report, one can discern the contradiction between the official Chinese statement with that of actual reality concerning the prison condition, treatment of prisoners, and total number of Tibetan political prisoners within Tibet,” stated Mr. Lobsang Nyandak Zayul, the Executive Director of TCHRD.
The year 1998 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Ironically, in Drapchi Prison the same year, Chinese prison guards and Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials violated all human rights norms with the use of brutal force on Tibetan prisoners. On the ill-fated days of 1 and 4 May 1998, the unarmed prisoners…
The latest Annual Report by Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has been released today. Enforcing Loyalty is a comprehensive documentation of the deteriorating human rights situation throughout Tibet in the year 2000. In a year where Beijing made overt attempts to enhance its international image, with the release of their high profile propaganda piece – the White Paper – and their signing of the Memorandum of Understanding – an agreement with the United Nations High Commission on Human Rights relating to human rights standards – China still remains one of the few nations of the world that institutionalises human rights abuses.
The past year saw an increase in almost every area of repression and violations of fundamental freedoms by the Chinese authorities. Beijing’s obsession with stability and control saw the reinforcement of older policies and the imposition of new, restrictive measures. Political and religious freedoms faced heightened methods of control; Tibetans endured continued arbitrary arrests and detentions, along with unabated torture; women suffered an increase of physical violations; and children still face bleak and limited futures due to the highly discriminatory education and employment policies currently in practice.