Chinese security forces have detained at least 10 Tibetan residents of Chumey Village in Nyakla Township in Nangchen (Ch: Nangqian) County, Yulshul (Ch: Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, according to exile Tibetan sources. The arrests were made after Tibetans from the village staged a peaceful protest, calling for an equal distribution of welfare benefits provided by the government…
Against the backdrop of the legal reforms that took place in 2014 aiming to make courts less corrupt, there has been an unprecedented crackdown on human rights lawyers in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Approximately 120 lawyers, and more than 50 support staff, family members and activists, have been rounded up and arrested across the country since the morning…
In preparation for the 50th founding anniversary of Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), the Chinese authorities have begun implementing the ‘Clean Sweep and Strike’ (Ch: da jian cha) campaign ostensibly to provide security to postal activities. Under this campaign, the TAR authorities will monitor and surveil postal exchanges between Beijing and TAR, and monitor and prohibit arms and ammunitions, knives, explosives, including dangerous chemicals, and also leaflets and other political publications. Even remote-controlled toys such as miniature planes will be banned from flying particularly in the urban skyscape. The Internet activities will come under increased surveillance.
A Tibetan youth who was detained for staging a peaceful solo protest against repressive Chinese rule has finally been identified as 17-year-old Tibetan nomad youth called Lobsang Thubten, or ‘Thubpe’ as he is affectionately called by friends and family.
Lobsang Thubten’s identity remained unknown since his arbitrary detention on 18 August 2015 in Lithang ( Ch: Litang) County, Kardze(Ch:Ganzi) Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
At about 9.40 am on 18 August, Lobsang Thubten stood outside a 110 police station (110 is the emergency phone number used for emergencies related to police, ambulance, fire extinguisher, etc.) carrying a large thangka painting of the Dalai Lama, and shouted aloud: “Tibet needs freedom. His Holiness the Dalai Lama should be invited to Tibet”. The site of protest is located at a place called Trungtrung Karmo in Lithang County.
Chinese authorities have used intimidation and threats of force to block attempts by local Tibetans to save a sacred mountain from uranium mining at Dringwa (Ch: Zhanwa) Township in Dzoege (Ch: Ruo’ergai) County, Ngaba (Ch: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
According to reliable information received by TCHRD, on August 10 a mining team sent by the Chinese government proceeded to start mining at Drakzong, a sacred mountain in Dringwa. Just then a large number of Tibetans gathered at the site to stop the miners, with Tibetans explaining to the Chinese miners that it was inauspicious to mine at the sacred site and that mining would have disastrous consequences on the environmental stability of the region. In response, the miners threatened to call the police for obstructing their work. Despite protests from Tibetans, the mining team has already made preparations to start mining uranium; mining machines and equipment have been brought to the site.
A Tibetan nomad woman was detained incommunicado last week for staging peaceful protest in Meuruma town in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Woekar Kyi, a 23-year-old mother of one, staged a solo protest at about 3 pm on 15 August 2015, shouting slogans calling on the Chinese government to grant freedom to…
Chinese authorities in two different Tibetan counties have used disproportionate force and violence as a punishment for Tibetans failing to properly organize the celebration of “Chinese Workers and Farmers Red Army Day”, which falls on 1 August and is observed annually in China as ‘Army Day’ or the founding anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This year marked the…
Chinese authorities have failed to launch an investigation into the death in detention case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a highly-revered and popular Tibetan reincarnate lama and a social activist, who died last month in the 13th year of his life imprisonment at Chuangdong Prison near Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province. Instead, Rinpoche’s family members, his sister Dolkar Lhamo and his…
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is pleased to learn that Ronggye A’drak, a Tibetan nomad who was imprisoned for staging a peaceful protest eight years ago, has been released after the completion of his sentence. Ronggye A’drak was released from prison and brought home by officials at around 1 am local time on 31 July in…
A Tibetan monk named Choekyi, 38, was detained and disappeared at around 5. 30 pm on 19 June 2015 in Wal-shul, Serthar (Ch: Seda) County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. A day after his detention and subsequent disappearance, Choekyi’s sister Kyinzom and her son, Drakpa, were detained and kept in police custody for 15 days subjected to…
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) condemns the illegal and incommunicado detention of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s relatives and calls for immediate investigation into the death of Rinpoche in Chuangdong Prison near Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China (PRC).
Information received by TCHRD confirms the arbitrary detention of Rinpoche’s sister Dolkar Lhamo, age 52, and niece Nyima Lhamo, age 25, at an undisclosed location after they submitted a petition calling for an investigation into circumstances leading to Rinpoche’s death. Both women were detained on 17 July from a restaurant in Chengdu by police officers from Lithang County, located in Tibetan province of Kham. They have not been heard or seen since then.
TCHRD believes that both relatives have been detained in connection with their sustained campaign to call for the release of Rinpoche’s remains and for calling on the Chinese authorities to launch an impartial investigation into the death of Rinpoche in prison. The petition has been widely shared and circulated by exile Tibetan organisations and submitted by TCHRD to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and relevant Special Procedures division including Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment; Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief; Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; and Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly.
Rinpoche’s relatives did not deserve arbitrary detention and the psychological and physical harm associated with it; they submitted a petition calling for an impartial investigation into the death of Rinpoche. Submitting petitions to challenge the arbitrary use of power by government agencies does not break any law, therefore, the officers who detained them must be made accountable for their unlawful actions.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death was the result of a series of human rights violations. Even after his death, the government of People’s Republic of China (PRC) still has human rights obligations that it is legally obliged to follow. After ignoring its legal obligations and Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s rights to be protected from arbitrary detention, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and arbitrary or extrajudicial killings, the PRC should investigate Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death and make the results of the investigation public.