United Nations representatives have called on the Chinese government to provide information on the whereabouts of two Tibetans who have apparently disappeared in detention, and to provide the legal grounds for their arrest and detention. The two detainees are Rinchen Tsultrim and Go Sherab Gyatso, both arrested during the past two years and both held in Kham [Ch: Sichuan].
The four UN representatives and bodies are the UN Working Group on Involuntary and Enforced Disappearances, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the special rapporteurs on minority issues and freedom of religion. Citing the obligations of the Chinese government under international human rights law, the UN experts have expressed “serious concern for the alleged arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance” of the two Tibetans, adding that they “are particularly concerned at information indicating that these detentions are not isolated events, but reflect a worrying pattern of arbitrary and incommunicado detentions, closed trials, and unknown charges and verdicts against the Tibetan religious minority in China, some of them amounting to enforced disappearances.”
Rinchen Tsultrim
Rinchen Tsultrim, 29, is a monk who was detained in July 2019 for exercising his freedom of opinion and thoughts; he is now known to be held in Mianyang Prison. The International Campaign for Tibet, the United States based Tibet advocacy organisation, believes that Rinchen was charged with “incitement to split the country” for expressing his views on the Chinese social media WeChat app.
His whereabouts were completely unknown for over a year and a half his arrest, his family was eventually informed that he had been sentenced to four years and six months in prison. Details of his trial, if there was one, charge and sentence have not been ascertained and his family have not been allowed to see him in person or via video-link.
Amnesty International has raised grave concerns for Rinchen Tsultrim’s condition and wellbeing, and his lack of access to his family and legal representation.
Go Sherab Gyatso
Go Sherab Gyatso, 46, is a prominent Tibetan Buddhist scholar and writer who was detained in Chengdu, Kham by officials from the Tibet Autonomous Region in October last year. No information about the circumstances of his detention or his current whereabouts is available so the reason for his detention is unknown.
Gyatso is a prolific writer, having published several books on Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, tradition and culture. He has also published critiques about the Tibetan monastic education system, calling for a broadening of the monastic community’s exposure.
ICT quote
Kai Mueller, head of UN advocacy at the International Campaign for Tibet, said,“The cases of Rinchen Tsultrim and Go Sherab Gyatso reflect a worrisome pattern of repression in Tibet, where the Chinese authorities relentlessly persecute dissent and independent thought [… ] Prolonged incommunicado detention is worrisome because of the danger of torture against unaccounted-for detainees. We believe this is a serious risk, as two Tibetans died earlier this year while in or immediately after detention due to injuries sustained in detention.We urge the international community, governments and parliaments to publicly raise the cases of Rinchen Tsultrim and Go Sherab Gyatso, as well as of other Tibetans, and to consider, in earnest, consequences with regard to their bilateral relations with the government of China.”
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