On the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, TCHRD stands in solidarity with the victims and families of those who have been subjected to unlawful, Chinese state-sanctioned repression through enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, beatings, torture, and inhuman treatment merely based on one’s own religious beliefs or cultural identity.
On the 37th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Tibetan Youth Congress, Students for Free Tibet and Tibetan Women’s Association solemnly commemorates and pays tribute to Tibetan human rights defenders, dissidents, and activists who have endured and continue to endure torture— the severest form of human rights abuse.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy joins the international community in observing World Press Freedom Day, as proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993 to remind governments to honor their commitments to press freedom and its core principles. However, in Tibet, China’s stringent control over information severely curtails press freedom and suppresses expression. Through strict regulations on both foreign and domestic journalists, often resulting in imprisonment and torture, China obstructs international efforts to accurately understand the reality in Tibet. This suppression not only denies Tibetan voices agency but also forcefully suppresses independent publications through bans or extensive censorship.
Despite concerns about its human rights record, China secured its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council with 154 votes, marking its sixth election to the Council. China’s repeated membership raises questions about the effectiveness of the UN’s human rights system and the need for reform in the election process, emphasising the importance of implementing a performance appraisal system to prevent habitual human rights offenders from participating in Council elections. The international community is urged to take action to ensure that the Council’s goals are not compromised and to support human rights advocates in China.
Every year on 26 June, the United Nations observes the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, explicitly focusing on torture’s lasting generational impact and consequences. Recognising torture as the deliberate infliction of severe physical and mental suffering without justification, the United Nations General Assembly designated this day as an urgent call to eliminate this abhorrent practice, serving as a platform to promote the eradication of torture and to urge governments worldwide, including China, to fulfil their obligations under the UN Convention Against Torture. Recent cases, such as the severe torture endured by a Tibetan monk and the testimonies of Dorje Tashi, shed light on the systematic use of torture by Chinese authorities to suppress freedom of expression and assembly. These distressing incidents underscore the pressing need for the international community to take a firm stand and demand an immediate end to all acts of torture against Tibetans in Tibet.
On the 28th anniversary of the Chinese government’s arbitrary detention and subsequent enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama Jetsun Tenzin Gedhun Yeshi Trinley Phuntsok Pal Sangpo, widely recognised by his lay name Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) reiterates its call to the Chinese government to immediately and unconditionally release the Panchen Lama, his family members, and all the Tibetan political prisoners. TCHRD emphasises that without ensuring the Tibetan people’s fundamental human rights, including freedom of belief and religion, Chinese authorities can never hope to win the hearts and minds of Tibetans, let alone earn any legitimacy for its repressive policies and campaigns in Tibet.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) welcomes the letter sent to China by four UN human rights experts urging Chinese authorities to clarify how the recent developments in Tibet regarding oppressive laws, policies and practices on education, language and religion are compatible with China’s obligations under the international human rights laws and standards.
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) calls on the international community to take affirmative actions to protect, promote and fulfill human rights for all. As we observe the anniversary of the adoption of Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN, thousands of Tibetan political prisoners are languishing…
A Tibetan mother of two, who was also a popular social media personality, died at the hands of her ex-husband on 30 September because she had refused to return to her abusive marriage. Lhamo, 30, was stabbed and then set on fire by the ex-husband on 14 September while she was live streaming from her home. The horrifying attack on Lhamo on the Chinese video app Douyin triggered a wave of outrage among Chinese netizens, who condemned the crime and demanded that Chinese authorities be held accountable for failing to prevent domestic violence. Despite government censorship, there were vociferous calls advocating for better laws and support systems for domestic abuse victims.
26 June is the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) joins initiatives across the world to end torture and create a safer world for all to exercise human rights and fundamental freedoms. Torture is one of the persistent human rights issues in Tibet owing to China’s routine practice of…
On the 25th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) reiterates its call for his immediate and unconditional release and unfettered access to independent international human rights group to ascertain his fate and wellbeing.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was six years old when he and his parents became victims of enforced disappearance at the hands of Chinese authorities on 17 May 1995, three days after His Holiness the Dalai Lama had recognised him as the reincarnation of the previous 10th Panchen Lama.