| Human Rights Violations by the Chinese PRC against Tibetans |
Tibet, located in Western China's Himalayan Mountains, has endured unimaginable suffering since the Communist Chinese took control in the 1950's. The
Chinese government has suppressed the political independence of the Tibetan people and persecuted monks who represent the foundation of Tibetan culture.
Countless numbers of Tibetans have been tortured and killed because of their insistence on preserving a distinctive set of beliefs and way of life. In October 1991,
the religious leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, reported that 1.2 million Tibetans had died of starvation or abuse at the hands of the Chinese.
Chinese government has suppressed the political independence of the Tibetan people and persecuted monks who represent the foundation of Tibetan culture.
Countless numbers of Tibetans have been tortured and killed because of their insistence on preserving a distinctive set of beliefs and way of life. In October 1991,
the religious leader of Tibetan Buddhists, the Dalai Lama, reported that 1.2 million Tibetans had died of starvation or abuse at the hands of the Chinese.
Tibetan religious figures have been involved in numerous peaceful demonstrations against the
Chinese over the years. These demonstrations are violently repressed by the regime. For
example, on May 6, 1996, police broke up a peaceful demonstration by the monks of the Ganden
Monastery. Up to seventy monks were arrested; seven have been reported missing and are
feared dead. As a result of their activism, monks and nuns comprise the largest group of
Tibetans to endure suffering at the hands of the Chinese government.
Chinese over the years. These demonstrations are violently repressed by the regime. For
example, on May 6, 1996, police broke up a peaceful demonstration by the monks of the Ganden
Monastery. Up to seventy monks were arrested; seven have been reported missing and are
feared dead. As a result of their activism, monks and nuns comprise the largest group of
Tibetans to endure suffering at the hands of the Chinese government.
Three examples illustrate the dedication of Buddhist religious figures to the independence of
their people, and the severe consequences they suffer as a result. Kalsang Thutop, a
forty-nine-year-old monk of the Drepung Monastery, was imprisoned by the Chinese and
sentenced to eight years because he was involved in a protest. Thutop died in July 1996,
reportedly due to malnutrition and relentless beatings by the Chinese. Thutop's death was the
second reported death of a monk in Chinese custody in 1996. Amnesty International has urged
the Chinese government to conduct an investigation of Thutop's death, but it is highly unlikely
that the system responsible for the monk's death will report any unusual findings.
their people, and the severe consequences they suffer as a result. Kalsang Thutop, a
forty-nine-year-old monk of the Drepung Monastery, was imprisoned by the Chinese and
sentenced to eight years because he was involved in a protest. Thutop died in July 1996,
reportedly due to malnutrition and relentless beatings by the Chinese. Thutop's death was the
second reported death of a monk in Chinese custody in 1996. Amnesty International has urged
the Chinese government to conduct an investigation of Thutop's death, but it is highly unlikely
that the system responsible for the monk's death will report any unusual findings.
Tibetan nuns have also endured terrible sufferings at the hands of the Chinese. Ngawang Sandrol will soon be the longest imprisoned Tibetan female political
prisoner. Sangdrol was first arrested in 1981 at the age of ten, while protesting for Tibetan freedom. She was arrested again at the age of thirteen, while
participating in another demonstration led by nuns. As a juvenile, Sangrol could not be tried, but she was severely beaten and abused while held in custody for
nine months. Upon release, Sangrol was forbidden to return to her nunnery. At the age of fifteen, she attempted to hold a peaceful protest with other nuns and
monks. She was arrested and sentenced to three years in jail. During her imprisonment, Sangdrol made a tape recording, which documented the abuse she and
her fellow nuns had endured. As punishment for this, she was sentenced to an extra six years. Sangrol's sentence was repeatedly extended over the next several
years because she "exercised her right to freedom of opinion". She protested the poor conditions in prison by refusing to make her bed or keep her room tidy,
and was forced to stand in the rain. In defiance, she began chanting, "Free Tibet." She was taken inside and beaten. A fellow inmate who escaped described
Sangdrol as, "deteriorated due to severe torture, and her right leg had been seriously injured". Sangrol is now due to be released in 2010 at the age of thirty-nine;
if her sentence is not extended. illustrates the willingness of Tibetans to endure suffering on behalf of their people, and the willingness of the Communist regime
to impose such suffering on them.
prisoner. Sangdrol was first arrested in 1981 at the age of ten, while protesting for Tibetan freedom. She was arrested again at the age of thirteen, while
participating in another demonstration led by nuns. As a juvenile, Sangrol could not be tried, but she was severely beaten and abused while held in custody for
nine months. Upon release, Sangrol was forbidden to return to her nunnery. At the age of fifteen, she attempted to hold a peaceful protest with other nuns and
monks. She was arrested and sentenced to three years in jail. During her imprisonment, Sangdrol made a tape recording, which documented the abuse she and
her fellow nuns had endured. As punishment for this, she was sentenced to an extra six years. Sangrol's sentence was repeatedly extended over the next several
years because she "exercised her right to freedom of opinion". She protested the poor conditions in prison by refusing to make her bed or keep her room tidy,
and was forced to stand in the rain. In defiance, she began chanting, "Free Tibet." She was taken inside and beaten. A fellow inmate who escaped described
Sangdrol as, "deteriorated due to severe torture, and her right leg had been seriously injured". Sangrol is now due to be released in 2010 at the age of thirty-nine;
if her sentence is not extended. illustrates the willingness of Tibetans to endure suffering on behalf of their people, and the willingness of the Communist regime
to impose such suffering on them.
Tanak Jegme Sangpo is another Tibetan political prisoner. His imprisonment began in 1960,
making him the longest-imprisoned Tibetan political prisoner. He was first accused of
corrupting the minds of children while working as a thirty-four-year-old teacher. His original
sentence also was extended, by an extra three years, for commenting on Chinese repression.
He was sent to labor camps in the Tibetan city of Lhasa. He was sentenced to an additional ten
years for "inciting his niece to escape to India" to report Chinese atrocities to His Holiness, the
Dalai Lama . In 1979, Sangpo was, technically, released from jail; he was sent to another labor
camp. He was arrested again, however, in 1983 for "pasting a personally written wall-poster
protesting against Chinese authority," and for "wearing a white banner over his body to
symbolise the ultimate realisation of the Tibetan people's freedom and independence". After
his arrest, he maintained his defiance by singing the Tibetan national anthem. Sangpo was
sentenced repeatedly for spreading ideas of Tibetan independence. When Swiss representatives
came to visit his prison, Sangpo shouted Tibetan slogans, and was later taken and "beaten until
his body was numb." He was then placed in solitary confinement in a cold cell. "Large sheets of
metal had been lowered on either side of him to lower the temperature," and he was reportedly
allowed no warm clothing. Sangpo was then sentenced to eight more years of imprisonment,
bringing his total to twenty-eight. Now aged seventy, he is scheduled to be released in 2011.
Due to his weakened state, he is not expected to live that long.
making him the longest-imprisoned Tibetan political prisoner. He was first accused of
corrupting the minds of children while working as a thirty-four-year-old teacher. His original
sentence also was extended, by an extra three years, for commenting on Chinese repression.
He was sent to labor camps in the Tibetan city of Lhasa. He was sentenced to an additional ten
years for "inciting his niece to escape to India" to report Chinese atrocities to His Holiness, the
Dalai Lama . In 1979, Sangpo was, technically, released from jail; he was sent to another labor
camp. He was arrested again, however, in 1983 for "pasting a personally written wall-poster
protesting against Chinese authority," and for "wearing a white banner over his body to
symbolise the ultimate realisation of the Tibetan people's freedom and independence". After
his arrest, he maintained his defiance by singing the Tibetan national anthem. Sangpo was
sentenced repeatedly for spreading ideas of Tibetan independence. When Swiss representatives
came to visit his prison, Sangpo shouted Tibetan slogans, and was later taken and "beaten until
his body was numb." He was then placed in solitary confinement in a cold cell. "Large sheets of
metal had been lowered on either side of him to lower the temperature," and he was reportedly
allowed no warm clothing. Sangpo was then sentenced to eight more years of imprisonment,
bringing his total to twenty-eight. Now aged seventy, he is scheduled to be released in 2011.
Due to his weakened state, he is not expected to live that long.
The Tibetan cause has gained worldwide attention due to the efforts of the Dalai Lama, multiple Human Rights Organizations, and the advocacy of well-known
figures in the entertainment world. One of the most prominent Hollywood figures is actor Richard Gere, but the cause is also being picked up by the entire
entertainment business. Many different concerts and shows are being held for the benefit of the Tibetans, and due to the persistence of many prominent
celebrities, the general public is becoming much more aware of the plight of the Tibetans.
figures in the entertainment world. One of the most prominent Hollywood figures is actor Richard Gere, but the cause is also being picked up by the entire
entertainment business. Many different concerts and shows are being held for the benefit of the Tibetans, and due to the persistence of many prominent
celebrities, the general public is becoming much more aware of the plight of the Tibetans.
Despite the fact that people are becoming more aware of their cause, the Tibetans are still enduring unspeakable amounts of suffering. In Tibet today, people are
dragged off the streets, tortured, and killed. People have taken to hiding in the cold, harsh conditions of the Himalayan Mountains. As a result, many have lost
fingers, toes, and even frozen to death. The Tibetan city of Lhasa has become a Chinese-dominated city, with 7,000 Chinese and only 6,000 Tibetans. The Chinese
reportedly receive the best jobs and the best land, while the Tibetans are having their land confiscated and their families slaughtered. People may have become
aware of the situation in Tibet, but unless they begin to take action in the immediate future, the situation shows no signs of improvement.
dragged off the streets, tortured, and killed. People have taken to hiding in the cold, harsh conditions of the Himalayan Mountains. As a result, many have lost
fingers, toes, and even frozen to death. The Tibetan city of Lhasa has become a Chinese-dominated city, with 7,000 Chinese and only 6,000 Tibetans. The Chinese
reportedly receive the best jobs and the best land, while the Tibetans are having their land confiscated and their families slaughtered. People may have become
aware of the situation in Tibet, but unless they begin to take action in the immediate future, the situation shows no signs of improvement.
Bibliography/Resources
Changching, Cao and James D. Saymour, eds. Tibet Through
Dissident Chinese Eyes. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1998.
Copper, John F. and Ta-ling Lee. Coping with a Bad Global Image.
Lanham Maryland: University Press of America, Inc. 1997.
Office of Tibet in London. "Four Nuns Imprisoned for Demanding a
'Free Tibet'". www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr011096.html Update:
August 12, 1997 .
Office of Tibet in London. "Longest Imprisoned Female Political
Prisoner". www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr301196_2.html Update
August 12, 1997.
Office of Tibet in London. "Monk in Ganden Monastery feared
killed". www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr140896.html Update August
12, 1997.
Office of Tibet in London. "Tibet's Longest Imprisoned Political
Prisoner" www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr151196.html Update:
August 12, 1997.
Smith, Warren W. Jr. Tibetan Nation. Boulder, Colorado: Westview
Press, 1996.
Survival International: Interview with Richard Gere.
www.survival.org.uk/.
Wu, Yuan-li, et al. Human Rights in the People's Republic of China.
Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998.
Pictures
www.ciolek.com/WWWVLPages/TibPages/Map/tibet-flag.gif.
www.hybriddesigns.com/Tibet.html.
www.magicoftibet.com/tibetny.
members.aol.com/tasc/hr2.html.
www.tibet.org.
members.aol.com/tccsc/gen1.html.
www.volute.qc.ca/ecran-noir/film/7years/tibet1html.
Changching, Cao and James D. Saymour, eds. Tibet Through
Dissident Chinese Eyes. Armonk, New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1998.
Copper, John F. and Ta-ling Lee. Coping with a Bad Global Image.
Lanham Maryland: University Press of America, Inc. 1997.
Office of Tibet in London. "Four Nuns Imprisoned for Demanding a
'Free Tibet'". www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr011096.html Update:
August 12, 1997 .
Office of Tibet in London. "Longest Imprisoned Female Political
Prisoner". www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr301196_2.html Update
August 12, 1997.
Office of Tibet in London. "Monk in Ganden Monastery feared
killed". www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr140896.html Update August
12, 1997.
Office of Tibet in London. "Tibet's Longest Imprisoned Political
Prisoner" www.tibet.com/Humanrights/hr151196.html Update:
August 12, 1997.
Smith, Warren W. Jr. Tibetan Nation. Boulder, Colorado: Westview
Press, 1996.
Survival International: Interview with Richard Gere.
www.survival.org.uk/.
Wu, Yuan-li, et al. Human Rights in the People's Republic of China.
Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998.
Pictures
www.ciolek.com/WWWVLPages/TibPages/Map/tibet-flag.gif.
www.hybriddesigns.com/Tibet.html.
www.magicoftibet.com/tibetny.
members.aol.com/tasc/hr2.html.
www.tibet.org.
members.aol.com/tccsc/gen1.html.
www.volute.qc.ca/ecran-noir/film/7years/tibet1html.
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| Tibetan Thangka, dated in the 1800's |
| UPDATE MARCH 28, 2008 Please scroll down for updates |
| Locking Down Tibet The ripple effects of Beijing's reaction to the Lhasa riots could spill over into the Olympics. Mar 14, 2008 Related Articles and MultimediaFrom the Editors (2) Silent Games Portrait of a Dissident See All Recommended (5) Liu: Tea With Dissident Hu Jia China’s Olympic PR Blitz Bush Honors Dalai Lama China Angered Over Dalai Lama's Visit China’s New Guard See All Topics (3) Beijing Tibet China See All Once again riots have exploded, shots have rung out, and blood has flowed in the streets of Lhasa. And once again the Chinese authorities' habit of overreacting threatens to keep making things worse. As police battled against angry Tibetan protestors, shops were set on fire, vehicles (including at least one tourist bus) overturned, ethnic Chinese attacked and tear gas fired into crowds in the worst civil unrest in Tibet in nearly two decades. Although these reports are extremely difficult to confirm, death toll estimates cited by Western media ranged from two to as many as 20. For those of us who wrote stories about Tibetan protests and the blood-tinged imposition of martial law in Lhasa in March 1989, it felt a bit like deja vu all over again. 1989 was the last time such violence has wracked the Tibet Autonomous Region, where Chinese soldiers marched into Lhasa in 1959 to enforce Beijing's heavy-handed sovereignty over the remote Himalayan region. Since then Tibetan militants have agitated for outright independence, while the exiled religious leader the Dalai Lama has criticized what he calls "cultural genocide" in Tibet and has lobbied for greater autonomy. As in 1989, what began as relatively modest protests against Chinese rule in Tibet--in both cases, initiated by monks at Drepung monastery--escalated into wider unrest after authorities cracked down with detentions and brute force, triggering yet more protests. Once again, authorities are scrambling to keep foreign media out of Tibet; foreign correspondents are chafing under regulations requiring them to get prior permission before traveling to the roof of the world. Once again, government censors are busy trying to shape the news. As I write this, coverage of the Lhasa riots has been continually blacked out from television news reports on the BBC and CNN (including one that, just before the cut, showed the anchor saying, "we've heard that CNN's reporting on Tibet has been blacked out….") Once again, a proximate cause of the turmoil was the March 10 anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule, during which Tibet's religious leader the Dalai Lama fled into exile in India. There was even a similar eeriness when, at one point Friday, the police presence in Lhasa seemed to ebb -- emboldening more and more protestors to pour into the streets. Monks from the Ramoche temple joined the unrest en masse, and crowds set about smashing and setting ablaze buildings "with real or perceived Chinese connections," reported Radio Free Asia. Targets included the popular Tashi Delek restaurant run by Tibetans seen to be pro-Beijing. Then security personnel struck back with tear gas and live ammunition, their shots ringing out in the traditional Barkor area of ancient Lhasa. But this time, unlike 1989, the stakes are much higher. Although we didn't know it back then, the Tibetan turmoil was a precursor of the even more violent crackdown that unfolded several months later in Beijing, snuffing out the Tiananmen Square protests. One of the reasons those demonstrations managed to grow so large was because the government was deterred from cracking down, for a time, by the looming May 1989 state visit of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev whose VVIP arrival in Beijing was to mark the end of decades of Sino-Soviet hostility. This time round, Beijing is slated to host the 2008 Summer Olympics in just five months' time. That means international scrutiny of China's human rights record - as well as nearly everything else, from pollution levels to traffic jams to the condition of Beijing's toilets - has been intensifying for months. It also means Chinese authorities need to be on their best behavior in the run-up to the Summer Olympics. Perhaps with the lesson of 1989 in mind, the government has made huge efforts to eliminate anything that might tarnish Beijing's image. A recent spate of PR setbacks appears to have rattled Chinese authorities, and now the potential for over-reaction seems great. "They're simply just freaking out now," says one foreign analyst involved in monitoring Olympics preparations. One example cited by the analyst, who requested anonymity, was the recent live concert in shanghai by Icelandic singer Bjork, who hit a raw nerve in the Beijing regime when she exclaimed "Tibet! Tibet!" after singing her unauthorized song "Declaration of Independence". That unexpected outburst prompted china's Ministry of Culture to declare that Bjork had "hurt the feelings of the Chinese people". It later also declared that she'd broken Chinese law, and that the ministry would "further tighten controls on foreign artists performing in China in order to prevent similar cases from happening." Since then officials have been frantically re-examining all sorts of cultural programs. One project that's now up in the air is the filming of "Mao's Last Dancer" - based on Li Cunxin's best-selling memoir of his life in the prestigious dance academy overseen by Mao Zedong's ruthless wife Jiang Qing - which was supposed to start Monday. In other words, it has no direct relationship to Tibet. Nonetheless, on Tuesday the production was told that they would not be able to start filming - despite having lined up a prestigious cast including Joan Chen and Kyle Maclachlan -- and that, in the post-Bjork era, all cultural projects now have to be vetted by no less than the State Council, the equivalent of China's cabinet. The traditional Olympic torch relay, meanwhile, has become even more controversial. Beijing plans to have runners bring the Olympic flame to the top of Mt. Everest in Tibet - using special technology to keep the fire burning at such high altitudes. That's been criticized by critics who contend that Tibetan culture and language have languished, and that Tibetans have become economically marginalized, under Beijing's governance. To ensure there is no repeat of last year's protests at Everest base camp by pro-Tibet Western activists, Chinese officials have simply barred ordinary mountaineers from climbing the Tibetan side of Everest from now to May 10, provoking huge squawks from members of mountaineering expeditions. Now Chinese authorities are learning on the government of Nepal to impose similar restrictions on mountaineering activities from the Nepalese side. The Kathmandu government has already said it will suspend the registration of any trekking company with a member who takes part in any anti-Chinese act, such as "raising the Tibetan flag on the summit of Everest." Which raises the question: if they have to lock down the entire country in order to hold a protest-free Olympics, will Chinese authorities declare success? |