The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is deeply saddened and appalled by the death in detention of yet another political prisoner in Tibet. Of more immediate concern is the refusal by Chinese prison authorities to release the body of the deceased, and no death certificate has been issued or an autopsy done. Lobsang Yeshi, a former village…
Chinese police have arbitrarily detained a young Tibetan mother for protesting peacefully with a portrait of the Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in her hand in Tibetan province of Amdo. The woman has been identified as 22-year-old Wangmo from Village no. 3 of Meuruma (Ch: Mai’erma) Township located in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture,…
A senior Tibetan monk has been sentenced to twelve years of rigorous imprisonment Diru (Ch: Biru) county, Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
Venerable Tenzin Lhundup, an accomplished Buddhist scholar at Gom Gongsar Monastery in Lenchu(Ch: Liangqu) township of Diru County, was sentenced in May 2015, according to reliable information received by Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
Venerable Tenzin Lhundup was sentenced after a year of his arbitrary detention in May 2014. For almost a year, he had been detained in Lhasa and the police did not provide any information to his family and friends about his whereabouts or condition. The news of his sentencing was the only confirmation his family had about his status in over a year, that he had somehow survived the beatings and torture in detention.
TCHRD earlier reported in July 2014 on the arbitrary detention of the Buddhist scholar in May 2014 when he was addressing a public gathering about the on the “status of Tibetan language and nationality” (Tib. mi rigs dang skad yig ki gnas bab skor) to villagers of Shagchu (Ch: Xiaqu) Diru County as requested by the local Tibetans on one of his visits to the area.[i] Immediately, a group of Chinese police arrived at the spot and took him away. He was detained on a Wednesday – the Dalai Lama’s ‘soul day’. A source told TCHRD that on every Wednesday, which is observed in many parts of Tibet as Lhakar or the ‘soul day’ of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin Lhundrup used to give Buddhist teachings to the local Tibetans, help arbitrate disputes, and advocate vegetarianism. He is known also for zealously advocating the need to preserve Tibetan identity. All of these initiatives had earned him much respect and admiration from the local Tibetans.
A prominent Tibetan reincarnate lama and philanthropist Tenzin Delek Rinpoche died at the age of 65 while serving life imprisonment at a prison near Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was a highly-respected religious leader in Lithang County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham. He was renowned for his active involvement in the restoration of Tibetan culture and religion, social welfare activities and his outspoken criticisms against Chinese policies. On 5 December 2002, Rinpoche and his nephew Lobsang Dhondup were sentenced to death with two years’ reprieve and death sentence respectively for masterminding a series of bomb blast incidents at Tianfu Square in Chengdu. Lobsang Dhondup was executed but Rinpoche’s suspended death sentence was commuted to life due to international pressure.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche had been held in detention for over thirteen years since his conviction in December 2002 for a crime he never committed.
According to reliable sources inside Tibet, on 2 July 2015 three officials from the Political and Legal Affairs Commission of Lithang County had come to meet Rinpoche’s sisters Donkar Lhamo and Sonam Dekyi asking them to leave with them for Chengdu to discuss the issue of Tenzin Delek.
On 2 July 2015, a 20-year-old Tibetan woman was arbitrarily detained by local Chinese police in connection with the 80th birthday celebration of the Dalai Lama in Meuruma Township in Amdo Province of Tibet.
Tashi Kyi, a Tibetan nomad, was taken to Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County in Ngaba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. There is no information on the exact location of her detention.
Tashi Kyi grew up with her nomad parents, Monu and Tsering Kyi – never attended formal schooling and was raised a nomad. At the time of her detention, she was living with her parents.
Sources in Tibet believe that the detention was related to some activities that took place at the 80th birthday celebration of the Dalai Lama in Meuruma Township. It remains unclear what she did on 21 June, the 80th birthday of the Tibetan spiritual leader, according the Tibetan calendar.
A Tibetan monk self-immolated on 9 July 2015 in the eastern Tibetan province of Kham.
Sonam Topgyal, the 26-year-old monk, staged his self-immolation protest at approximately 6 pm local time in the Gesar Square located in Kyegudo town, in Yulshul (Ch: Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP), Qinghai Province.
“A large contingent of Chinese security forces immediately arrived at the spot of the self-immolation and blocked all the main roads,” a source with contacts in Tibet told the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
The Beijing-based Tibetan writer Woeser reported on her social media pages that a large number of special paramilitary troops had been sent to Kyegudo soon after self-immolation; they have since blocked the main roads leading to the spot of the self-immolation. All communication services, including telephone lines and Internet, have been shut down in the area.
Recently, Chinese authorities have blocked all Internet lines in Golog (Ch: Guoluo) TAP (Qinghai Province), 11 counties of Kardze TAP (Sichuan Province), and some parts of Ngaba (Ch: Aba) TAP (Sichuan Province). It has been more than half a month since this Internet blockade, making it difficult to get immediate updates on the situation in these areas.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is deeply concerned about the new National Security Law that was released in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on 1 July 2015. As a human rights organization, TCHRD believes that this new law will enable Chinese authorities to further justify the human rights abuses that continue to take place for Tibetans today.
The new National Security Law does not make any concessions to human rights, rule of law, or the interests of other States or peoples. Instead, the National Security Law relies on broad and vague language to announce that the PRC will confront and fight-back against any perceived threat. This is a continuation of failed policies that do not seek to peacefully settle disputes, and simply exacerbate problems in the PRC instead.
Despite paying lip service to human rights in four articles (Articles 7, 16, 27 and 83), the National Security Law takes the position that is hostile to basic human rights protections. For example, Article 27 says that the PRC protects freedom of religion but then lists duties and responsibilities for religious management, including opposing foreign influence and interference. The PRC views any acknowledgment of the Dalai Lama, including possession of his teachings, praying for his long life or celebrating his birthday, as counter to the Party. For monks, such as Tsangyang Gyatso, the charge of “contacting outsiders” can result in long prison sentences.
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.
Three Tibetan businessmen and a young poet have been given harsh prison terms in Diru (Ch: Biru) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Perfecture, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
The three businessmen identified as Sonam Dharwang, Lhanam and Tsering Lhadup, were each sentenced to eight years, while poet Tenzin Kalsang received seven years of imprisonment in May 2015, according to information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
The businessmen are natives of Kado Village in Choenyi (or Lhenchu) Township in Diru Country in the eastern Tibetan province of Kham. They were charged of ‘inciting quarrels among the public’ and ‘opposing the government’.
There is no information on where the four sentenced Tibetans are held and in what condition. The details of their trials and sentencing are not immediately available.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) released yesterday the second book written by underground Tibetan writer Dhi Lhaden, the courageous former monk and intellectual based in Amdo, Tibet.
Originally composed in Tibetan and titled Tungol Trimtug (‘Resistance Through Cooperation With Law’), it has been translated into English with a new title ‘The Art of Passive Resistance’. This is Lhaden’s second book, translated and published by TCHRD.
In this book, Dhi Lhaden explores themes such as the rule of law, freedom, peace, equality, non-violence, and looks to public figures known for their approach of peaceful resistance such as the Dalai Lama, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and George Washington.
Almost two weeks before the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday on 6 July, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has started preventing public celebrations and detaining people for sharing photos online. Tsering Dondrub, 25, was detained for posting images of the Tibetan flag and the Dalai Lama on WeChat. It is unknown where he is being detained or how he is being treated. The secret detention of Tibetans arrested for exercising their human rights is common and family members only learn about the specifics of the case and see their imprisoned relatives at their trial, if it is ever held.
The detention of Tsering Dondrub, follows established patterns of human rights violations in Tibet. WeChat is closely watched by the PRC and Tibetans can be arrested and given severe prison sentences for sharing material on WeChat. In the weeks leading up to the Dalai Lama’s birthday PRC officials are tightening already existing restrictions in Tibet. Tibetans in Tsering Dondrub’s village in Rebgong (Ch: Tongren) County in Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Qinghai Province were prevented from participating in a variety of events on 21 June to commemorate the Dalai Lama’s birth year. (According to Tibetan lunar calendar, the Dalai Lama turned 80 on 21 June.) The public was also banned from attending events at monasteries and could have their phones confiscated and searched. The detention of Tsering Dondrub may well be the tip of the iceberg, and more Tibetans may have been detained or are in danger of getting detained since it has increasingly become a standard practice for the local Chinese authorities to punish Tibetans when the world is not watching.