News – Page 87

06/04/2005 News

China releases Jampel Jangchub after 16 years in jail

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) received confirm information that Jampel Jangchub -member of the “Group of Ten”- has been freed around 7 March 2005. He was released after 16 years and four months imprisonment in Drapchi Prison. Jampelis now 43 years old and is reported to be suffering from heart and kidney ailments after years of torture and maltreatment in the prison.

Background information

Jampel Jangchub was born in Toelung Dechen County to the south of Lhasa City, “Tibet Autonomous Region”(“TAR”). He attended an elementary school for three years and later helped in the family field work.

06/04/2005 News

Oral Statement made by TCHRD on behalf of International Fellowship of Reconciliation

Norzin Dolma presenting oral statement at 61st Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.

Oral Statement made by Norzin Dolma on behalf of International Fellowship of Reconciliation.

61st Session of the UN Commission on Human rights
5 April 2005

Item 11e: Civil & Political Rights including the question of Religious Intolerance

For the past several years, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR) has regularly reported on matters concerning the gross and systematic violation of religious freedom in Tibet to the members of this commission.

01/04/2005 News

Tibetan Culture website closed, editor-in-chief disappears

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) deplores the Chinese authorities closing down of Tibetan culture website-www.tibetcul.com

According to China Information Center on 30 March 2005, “Tibetan Culture, a website run by the Xueyu Zangren Cultural Exchange Co Ltd in China’s northwest Gansu Province, was closed on March 25, by the Internet Administration Department of the Public Security Bureau (“PSB”) of Lanzhou.” It is speculated that “sensitive topics” and articles posted by surfers have led to the close down. Tsewang Norbu, a Tibetan who is the writer and editor-in-chief of the website, is reported to be disappeared.

19/03/2005 News

No China Resolution at 61st Session of UNCHR

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) deplores that no country will sponsor a resolution on China’s human rights records at this year’s United Nation’s Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), currently in session at Geneva. On 17 March 2005 the US government announced that it has decided not to introduce a resolution critical of China’s human rights at the Commission.

Resolutions at the UN Commissions are potent tools to criticize human rights records of countries that abuse the fundamental human rights and freedoms of its citizen. Just tabling a resolution against a country is considered by many UN member states as a major loss of face value, especially by People’s Republic of China(PRC) who gives lots of emphasis on its image building process. A resolution symbolizes a poor human rights record of the country.

07/02/2005 Annual Reports / News

Human Rights Situation in Tibet: Annual Report 2004

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) released its Annual Report: Human Rights Situation in Tibet, 2004. The Annual report details the current Human Rights situation in Tibet compiled from independent research along with the testimonies of newly arrived refugees in the exile community. This year’s report focuses on the continued violation of Tibetans Right to Development; Right to Education; Civil and Political Rights; the Right to Information, and Religious Freedom.

The year 2004, saw the release of some prominent political prisoners from Chinese prisons. However, TCHRD also recorded 21 known cases of arrests on charges of suspicion of activities that the Chinese government deemed “endangering state security”- activities that have called for the freedom of Tibet or simply for the expression of allegiance to the Dalai Lama. At the end of 2004, TCHRD recorded 146 known political prisoners still serving prison terms in various Chinese prison networks across Tibet. Of which 55 Tibetans are serving sentences of 10 years or more, with monks constituting 63 percent of the total known political prisoners. TCHRD believes that there are many more cases of unconfirmed arrests.

04/02/2005 News

Tibetan Prisoner serving life sentence dies in Prison

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) has received information from a reliable source that, Rinzin Wangyal a.k.a Rinwang, 59, died in prison at the end of 2004. There has been no official confirmation of Rinzin Wangyal’s death. It has been reported that his body was not handed over his family.

Rinzin was serving a life imprisonment term in Pawo Tramo Prison, 250 km east of Lhasa. According to the most recent information received by TCHRD on 31 May 2004, his health condition was known to have gravely deteriorated due to constant torture over the years in prison.

27/01/2005 News

Trulku’s death sentence commuted to life

The Chinese government has commuted the death sentence on Trulku Tenzin Delek to life imprisonment. “ The Higher People’s Court in Sichuan province, in Southwestern China, commuted the death penalty with two-year reprieve for a Tibetan monk involve in terrorist bombings to life term on Wednesday”, Xinhua, the official news agency of the People’s Republic of China reported.

The court verdict also said, “A’an Zhaxi, also known as Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, was deprived of his political rights for life, which was handed down to him during the day.”

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) believes that the verdict was widely expected considering past record of such similar cases. Despite the news of a life sentence for Trulku, TCHRD strongly urges the Chinese government to conduct a fair re-trial while allowing Trulku legal representation of his own choosing.

31/12/2004 News / Thematic Reports

State of Education in Tibet: A human rights perspective

This report looks at some of the Chinese government’s educational policies in Tibet that fail to benefit the Tibetan people but rather help achieve Beijing’s political aims. It also studies China’s compliance with its own laws – the Constitution, its various regional, ethnic, and minority laws that clearly promise the right to education to its people. The report also studies…

16/12/2004 News

Life sentence for Bangri Rinpoche commuted to 19 years prison term

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy received reliable information on Bangri Rinpoche’s arrest of 26 August 1999. (Ref: TCHRD Update January 2000 & December 2003) (Background detail on Bangri Rinpoche attached below)

It has come to light through reliable sources to TCHRD- that in September 2001, Bangri Rinpoche was senteced to life by the Lhasa Municipality Intermediate People’s Court for attempting to ‘split’ the country.

Nyima Choedon, Bangri Rinpoche’s wife was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for the same charge. On 29 May 2001, both were shifted to Drapchi Prison in the north of Lhasa City and were incarcerated in solitary confinement for more than a year. They were later shifted to prison unit no. 5 meant for prisoners with political charges.

10/12/2004 News / Thematic Reports

“Strike Hard” Campaign

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) initiated the “Strike Hard” Campaign in China in 1983. It is a unique campaign which demonstrates China’s hardline approach against its exercise of fundamental human rights. The campaign left huge scars on its people and it dramatizes China’s image of an oppressive and ruthless state. The “Strike Hard” campaign drew huge criticism from the…

08/11/2004 News

China relaunches “Strike hard” campaign to curb Tibetan dissidence and religion

In its latest attempt to intensify hard-line policies, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has relaunched the “strike hard” campaign to systematically curtail Tibetan political dissent and to control religious institutions. A series of recent official meetings held in Lhasa has re-affirmed the need to curb dissidence by “striking hard” in the “Tibet Autonomous Region”(TAR).

According to the State media China Tibet Information Centre (www.tibetinfor.com) and Lhasa Evening daily on 4 November 2004, “the “Strike hard” campaign for the winter – 1 November to 30 December 2004 – in Lhasa, TAR, has begun. The current campaign aims to eliminate internal secret splittist groups, separatists based outside, influence on religion, terrorists and their activities, criminal activities, stability stiflers and exile returnees linked with splittist groups.”