By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, April 26: The Dharamshala-based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) on Tuesday launched its 2021 report on the human rights situation in Tibet. The findings revealed that the ongoing effort of the Chinese government to assimilate Tibetans into the Chinese Communist system is evident from “widespread crackdown on the right of freedom of expression and information”. The all-Tibetan group of researchers demanded that the Chinese government take responsibility for its actions and further urged the international community to hold China accountable for its rights violations at every sector on global decision-making levels.
“The work details dire situations that have seen no progress in the past decades,” remarked Director Tsering Tsomo in the introduction to the 2021 report, noting the progression of Chinese repression in the past since the 2009 self-immolations have triggered stringent policies across Tibet. One of the key pieces of evidence, the report noted, was the clampdown on Tibetans for their communication online, especially with the rising number of detention for merely keeping photos of their spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama online or otherwise.
The cover of the report shows a billboard on Lhasa Broadway that reads in Tibetan, “Ethnic Unity is as precious as one’s life. It should be kneaded into tsampa dough and mixed into a whole single unit.” Director Tsomo said that the Chinese bureaucratic communicators have also now learned to use Tibetan language and culture creatively to attract the Tibetan populace.
Researcher Nyima Woeser explained that the messaging on the hoarding summarizes the Chinese dream of ethnic oneness, “The governmental orders impinge on the rights of Tibetans, including closure of schools that teach children in Tibetan language, along with the implementation of Putonghua [standard spoken Chinese] in preschool education.”
The group also blamed the Chinese government for “systematic persecution” of Tibetan educators, intellectuals and cultural leaders. “The silencing of education Tibetans who exercise considerable influence on Tibetan society assumes increased urgency due to the continued violation of education and language rights,” the press release further said. The report also underlined other major grievances that sparked from the 2008 protests which are yet to be addressed by the Beijing administration.
