By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 31: On the 30th international day of the victims of enforced disappearances, the Dharamshala-based organization Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) reported 40 known cases of enforced disappearances in Tibet in the last three years under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) regime.
“In the days preceding and following the recent centenary celebration of the Chinese Communist Party and the 70th anniversary of the so-called “peaceful liberation” of Tibet, many Tibetans have been subjected to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance under the campaign to crack down on ‘fake’ news and ‘illegal’ online activities, and the perennial national security and social stability campaigns,” the report stated.
Norsang, 36, and Lhadar, 37, are among the recent victims from Tachen Township in Nagchu city, Tibet Autonomous Region, who were detained by the Public Security Bureau in 2019 for resisting Chinese patriotic education. Norsang’s demise in 2019 was only known in May 2021 through anonymous sources through their contacts in Nagchu prefecture. According to TCHRD, an informed source said that he was subjected to severe beatings and torture, which ultimately caused his death.
In the report published on Monday, TCHRD called for an urgent demand that China release all “Tibetan political dissidents subjected to enforced disappearance and notify the families of their whereabouts and conditions.” The UN Secretary General’s call on Tuesday noted that states must fulfill their obligations to prevent enforced disappearance, to search for the victims, and to investigate, prosecute and punish the perpetrators. China tops the list of countries that need to sign and ratify this crucial international human rights obligation.
News of disappearances and deaths in custody is mostly delayed from reaching outside Tibet because of strict surveillance imposed by Chinese authorities.
