By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, July 27: Chinese authorities are systematically removing records of court verdicts involving Tibetans convicted of alleged crimes related to “endangering state security.” The so called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan areas have been affected by this troubling practice, resulting in an unknown number of Tibetans facing secret trials with no official acknowledgement of their imprisonment.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) released information confirming the erasure of court verdicts from publicly accessible databases. This secretive approach not only affects cases within the TAR but extends to other Tibetan areas outside the region as well. Consequently, many Tibetans are tried and sentenced in secret, leading to a lack of transparency and accountability in the Chinese legal system.
One prominent case illustrating this pattern is that of Tashi Wangchuk, a Tibetan language activist who was released in January 2021 after serving five years in prison on the charge of “inciting separatism.” The court verdict for his case cannot be found in China’s national database of court records. Equally concerning is the fact that Tashi Wangchuk was not provided with a copy of his verdict upon his release from prison, raising questions about due process and transparency.
On January 27, 2016, Tashi Wangchuk was arbitrarily detained following a New York Times documentary that highlighted his efforts to file a lawsuit against local Chinese authorities for neglecting Tibetan culture and language. During his nearly two years of pretrial detention, he endured torture and beatings in Kyedgudo (Ch: Yushu) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham.
On July 20, 2023, Lin Qilei’s Twitter update exposed details about his encounter with Tashi Wangchuk in Yushu. Lin Qilei’s original intention was to enjoy Yushu’s scenery in Tashi’s company, but his plans were thwarted when local police contacted him, leading to Tashi’s hesitancy and inability to speak freely during their meeting.
On the second day of their planned meeting, Tashi received a call from the local police, preventing him from bidding farewell to Lin. Additionally, it was revealed that Tashi was denied the opportunity to mourn his parents’ passing or visit his home while imprisoned, and Yushu’s community appeared to be gripped by fear, with Tashi facing ostracization.
In July 2021, Human Rights Watch reported that the verdicts against four Tibetan monks on suspected state security charges could not be found on the national database. In September 2020, the four monks from Tengdro Monastery in Shigatse (Ch: Xigaze) City in TAR namely Choegyal Wangpo, Lobsang Jinpa, Norbu Dondrub and Ngawang Yeshe received heavy prison terms of 20, 19, 17 and five years respectively.
It is common for Chinese authorities to deny access to records of cases involving alleged violations of the State Security Law, which utilizes broad and vague language to suppress any perceived threat to the Chinese Party-state’s authority.
Human Rights Watch previously reported similar instances where verdicts against Tibetan monks accused of state security charges were untraceable in the national database. The absence of publicly accessible court records and court videos for such cases in the TAR is also a recurring pattern. Chinese state media’s silence on these cases further adds to the veil of secrecy surrounding Tibetan dissent.
Ms Tenzin Dawa, the executive director of TCHRD, condemned this “despicable practice” by Chinese authorities, emphasizing the importance of the international community in bearing witness to the systematic suppression and persecution of Tibetan human rights defenders. She called for accountability for China’s gross human rights violations and attempts to conceal such actions.
