Forced disappearances, torture and severe restrictions on religious and political freedom are amongst some of the issues highlighted by the United States Department of State (USDOS) in a recent report on the human rights practices of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).
Lodoe Gyatso
Though the report stops short of detailing government or government sponsored killings,the PRC is reported to “detain Tibetans arbitrarily for indefinite periods”. These include the case of Lodoe Gyatso who was arrested in January 2018 and has not been seen since, with officials insisting his case was a state secret that could not be discussed. Additional reporting states that Gyatso, along with his partner, have been given prison sentences though the location of the pair remains unknown.
Even upon release Tibetans are reported to face issues, with “reports of recently released prisoners who were permanently disabled or in extremely poor health because of the harsh treatment they endured in prison”. During 2019 the USDOS received reports that Chinese officials severely beat Tibetans who were incarcerated or otherwise in custody. These beatings led to the death, on May 1, 2019, of Yeshi Gyatso, who died following his release from prison where he was reportedly beaten and tortured.
Also described by the USDOS report are reprisals against Tibetans living outside Chinese administered areas, including “credible reports” that the PRC was putting heavy pressure on Nepal to forcibly return Tibetan refugees to the Chinese authorities. In January 2020 Pradeep Gyawali, Nepal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, detailed a previously unannounced agreement, signed with Beijing to hand over people crossing the PRC-Nepal border illegally or without proper documentation within seven days.
In responding to comments from US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, that PRC “has engaged in unlawful killings, forced disappearances, and detention”, China has flatly denied the assertions of the report. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, GengShuang, is reported to have stated that Beijing is “firmly opposed” to Pompeo’s remarks which he said are full of “political lies and ideological prejudice”.
US State Deparment’s New Human Rights Report
Photo: screen grab
Compiled by the USDOS and submitted to the United States Congress, the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are described as “carefully researched, factual, and objective information” on government observance (or otherwise) of internationally recognised human rights standards. Produced annually they are intended to fulfill a requirement that human rights performance is considered when formulating US foreign and trade policy.
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