Photo: RFA
The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC*, based in the United States) released its annual report on October 10 which comprehensively discloses the Chinese government’s disregard for human rights and showcases evidences of more than 1,300 active cases of political and religious prisoners contained in the Commission’s Political Prisoner Database.
In addition to that, the Report documents rights violations in ethnic minority regions, religious freedom violations, harassment of rights defenders and lawyers, suppression of free speech, large-scale forced evictions, onerous restrictions on civil society and more—all of which, it says, are the markings of a repressive, Communist one-party state.
The report indicates that the human rights situation deteriorated even more in China following Xi Jinping’s appointment as Communist Party General Secretary in 2012. According to the data provided by CECC there is the mass, arbitrary internment of as many as one million or more Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in ‘‘political re-education’’ camps in western China. Some argue that such scope of imprisonment of ethnic minorities may be the largest since World War II and therefore falls into the classification of crimes against humanity. An international expert described the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as ‘‘a police state to rival North Korea, with a formalised racism”.
Tibet
Human rights in Tibet remain critical as China continues to use its repressive tactics towards Tibetans, who seek a meaningful level of autonomy in terms their religion and culture. The report notes numerous cases of detainees who were captured and threatened for exercising their religion: possessing books and audio recordings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, travelling to Bodh Gaya (India) to attend the Dalai Lama’s teachings, etc. In addition, the Chinese authorities continue to jail Tibetans for peaceful protests and impose a fine of $440(£334) per day on Tibetans who make a pilgrimage on foot to Tibet’s capital, Lhasa.
In consequence of the above mentioned repressive measures implemented by China, at least another three Tibetans: Tenga, a 63-year-old monk; Konpe, a former monk in his thirties and TsekhoTugchag (or Tugchak), another former monk, committed the act of self-immolation over the past reporting year. Instead of addressing the ongoing tragedy, Chinese authorities threaten the families of those who set themselves on fire.
Regarding the economic development in Tibet, the commission’s report notes that even though China boasts about contributing to its economic growth there is no evidence that China has sought systematic input from the Tibetan people on its economic plans.
“The International Campaign for Tibet welcomes the release of the 2018 CECC report, which not only sheds light on and clearly documents the authoritarian rule imposed by China in Tibet and beyond, but also provides concrete recommendations to the US government on how to effectively counter the efforts by Beijing to consolidate its power, completely disregard the rule of law and avoid being held accountable to its own citizens,” said ICT President Matteo Mecacci.
Calls for reciprocity and dialogue
The report also states that no formal dialogue has taken place in nearly nine years between the Chinese government and the representatives of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and provides a list of recommended changes to US policy toward China. One of these recommendations is to prioritise reciprocity in America’s relationship with the Chinese government. The report mentions the bill entitled The Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act that was passed by a US Congressional committee. The bill, which now moves to the House of Representatives, stands for denying entry to the United States for Chinese officials who prevent American journalists and common citizens from entering Tibet.
“I’m confident that if we can get it onto the floor of the Senate in some form, it would pass without even a vote,” Senator Marco Rubio said, adding “We want to get it there, we believe there’s support for it, and we’re working hard to get it accomplished.”
Throughout the report the issue of Panchen Lama is highlighted several times. The report recommends that US officials keep requesting that the Chinese authorities allow access for independent representative of an international organisation to meet Gedun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama, who was arrested by Chinese authorities and has been missing for 20 years after he was chosen by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the second-highest figure in Tibetan Buddhism.
*The mandate of the CECC is to “authorise extension of nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations treatment) to the People’s Republic of China, and to establish a frame work for relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China”. This includes a mandate to monitor compliance with human rights: “The Commission shall monitor the acts of the People’s Republic of China which reflect compliance with or violation of human rights”.
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