Chinese police patrol in front of the Potala Palace in Tibet’s capital Lhasa in a file photo
Photo: RFA
The United States’ 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices published by the US State Department has reiterated deterioration of basic human rights in Tibet. The Tibet section of the report highlights arbitrary arrest or detentions; denial of fair public trail; lack of freedom of expression, including for the press; discrimination; societal abuses and trafficking in persons; corruption and lack of transparency in government; lack of freedom to participate in political process; lack of freedom for peaceful assembly and unlawful interference with privacy.
Despite years of calling for religious freedom in Tibet, the US State Department’s Report 2020 reaffirmed China’s “effectively placing Tibetan Buddhism under central government control”.
The report gives information of cases where “police and prison authorities employed torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment in dealing with some detainees and prisoners”, citing examples including the death of Lhamo, a Tibetan herder who was detained for sending money to India and later died of torture sustained whilst in prison.
Arbitrary arrest and detention followed by lack of fair trial remains one of the pressing problems in Tibet under Chinese government. From the publicly available information, 273 Tibetans are known to be detained or imprisoned by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) authorities as of late 2019, in violation of international human rights standards. Of the 115 cases for which there was information available, the sentences ranged from “15 months to life sentences.” In 2019, Tibet Autonomous Region authorities arrested at least 101 individuals accused of being “the Dalai Lama clique” and of threatening China’s “political security”.
“The judiciary was not independent of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) or government in law or practice” states the report, continuing, “In March for example, officials in Mangkhang County, TAR, announced that the local prosecutor’s office would hire five court clerks. Among the job requirements were loyalty to the CCP leadership and a critical attitude toward the 14th Dalai Lama”.
According to the report, the Chinese authorities have increased the rewards available to individuals who report on information leading to the arrests of social media users deemed disloyal to the government; the reward now stands at 300,000 yuan [ US$42,800 / £33,000]. The Chinese authorities have created a “double-linked household system”, which facilitated authorities’ efforts to identify and control persons considered “extremist” or “splittist.”
Tibetan families whose relatives or children are living in exile face constant harassment and pressure from the officials, including loss of a government job, difficulty finding employment or expulsion of their children from the public education system.
“Communist Party cadres replaced all traditional village leaders in the TAR and other Tibetan areas”.
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