A new report Environmental Defenders of Tibet: China’s Persecution of Tibetan Environmental Defenders was released this month ahead of World Environment Day on June 5 by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT)*.The report highlights the persecution of Tibetan environment defenders in Tibet under the Chinese authorities there who have made it a regular crime to speak out on environmental issues; those who do speak up face persecution and detention on a par with human rights and political defenders.
The report highlights the many Tibetans who have been persecuted and killed for protecting their environment and says that their efforts and the environmental concerns they raise are not recognised by the international community – despite the Tibetan plateau’s crucial role in the global ecosystem and its recognition as the “Third Pole” and “Asia’s Water Tower”. The Tibetan plateau is in the frontline of climate crisis with its temperature rising at least two times faster than the global average. The plateau is the source of the eight great rivers in Asia, sustaining the livelihood of up to 1.4 billion people living downstream.
Tibetans are living under China’s illegal occupation, and fighting for a genuine autonomy within the People’s Republic of China – an autonomy where Tibetans can protect and preserve their own culture, traditions and environment. Currently any grievances Tibetans raise are considered a territorial matter and the voices of Tibetan environmental defenders do not make a mark beyond the political struggle.
ICT’s report collated and analysed 50 known cases of Tibetan environmental defenders who have been reportedly persecuted since 2008; of whom 21 are currently serving sentences in prison, with an average sentence length of eight and half years; five have completed their prison sentences (it is not known whether all five have been released), and the whereabouts of 20 remain unknown. One environment defender was fatally shot during a protest and three have died while in custody.
Kai Müller, executive director of ICT Germany, said “The international community must recognise that Tibetan environmental defenders are best equipped to build resilience in the land. They should be empowered to mitigate and adapt to climate change for the benefit of 40% of the world’s population. The Chinese government’s denial of Tibetan rights is both foolhardy and hazardous to all of us.”
The 32 page report highlights the major threats facing Tibet’s environment and the role of the Tibetan plateau in both the Asian region and the global climate system, as well as the significant role of Tibetan environmental defenders in Tibet and the threats they undergo on daily basis under the Chinese régime.
The report offers the following recommendations to governments and the United Nations agencies:
- Press China to uphold its human rights obligations and guarantee and protect the rights of the Tibetan environmental defenders, and release them unconditionally if detained
- Specifically raise the cases of the 16 Tibetan environmental defenders identified on the priority list in Appendix A, requesting their release and information about their cases and their wellbeing
- Press China to protect the rights of Tibetan environmental defenders to seek information, freely express their opinion, associate, assemble, participate in decision-making, protect their livelihood and home, and seek redress and remedy
- Ensure free and prior informed consent; the inclusion of the Tibetan community in the decision-making and implementation process of development projects; and the use of thorough and transparent environmental impact assessment projects on the Tibetan Plateau
- Press China to protect and promote Tibetan language learning and practice, as it is the medium in which traditional knowledge and experience is carried and communicated
- Promote the opening up of the Tibetan Plateau for scientific research and international collaboration by:
– Cooperating with countries in the region to establish a regional environmental council to facilitate scientific research and transparency
– Pressing China to facilitate a country visit to China by the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment and/or the Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change - Develop and implement a comprehensive, stable Southeast Asia riparian environmental and security program designed to provide essential water resources to downstream populations, address increasing water pollution and adequately prepare for climate change
- Challenge China’s ecological civilization policy and self-representation as a leader in global climate policy and action. China’s activities in Tibet reveal its exclusionary, geo-engineering, and dangerously unsustainable approach to climate change and environmental management
Full report can be read here
*The International Campaign for Tibet is a non-profit advocacy group working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans and protect Tibetan culture and the environment.
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