The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy released its 2006 Annual Report highlighting human rights abuses affecting political, economic and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.
Below is an excerpt of an article published by The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy:
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) releases its 2006 Annual Report: Human Rights Situation in Tibet. The report focuses on four spheres of human rights violation in Tibet; Civil and political liberties, Religion, Development and Education in Tibet.
The year 2006 saw a host of sad events unfold. The Chinese authorities in Tibet did not show any sign of let-up. Throughout the year, various human rights abuses in Tibet were documented affecting both the civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights of the Tibetan people.
Arbitrary arrest, detention and imprisonment continue to be appalling as ever in Tibet. During the year, two events of concern - start of Gormo-Lhasa railway and the Nangpa Pass tragedy - gripped international attention […].
[…] The plight of the Tibetan people came to the attention of the international community on 30 September 2006 when the world saw Chinese border police shooting indiscriminately upon fleeing Tibetans, resulting in death of at least two Tibetans at the Nangpa Pass in the Himalaya. It was disappointing that the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) chose to remain silent over the tragedy signaling an apparent silence by the OHCHR not to antagonize China, a permanent member in the UN Security Council. However, the Public Security Bureaus in Tibet in a video-conference vowed "to strike hard during the first half of 2007 [6 months] against illegal crossings", calling the campaign a part of measures to strike hard on "separatist" to ensure stability in the region.
A total of 2445 Tibetan refugees escaped into exile and reached Dharamsala this year. Of these, majority comprises of teenage Tibetans and novice monks and nuns who seek religious education that is banned in Tibet; children sent by their parents to study in Tibetan exile schools, feeling that it is their only chance for a broad-based education; and nomads and farmers leave because they have been relocated from their land for development projects like the Gormo-Lhasa railway.
In 2006, TCHRD documented 26 known Tibetans arrested for alleged political activities. There are currently 116 known Tibetan political prisoners in Tibet. This year some prominent cases of imprisonment of Tibetans; Dolma Kyab, Sonam Gyalpo and Namkha Gyaltsen’s stand out from the rest owing to the utter harshness in serving long-term sentences between 8 to 12 years prison term.
In addition to the ongoing "patriotic education" campaign being carried out in every part of Tibet, a new "TAR" -specific religious affairs regulation is now put into effect since 1 January 2007. The regulations comprising of 5 chapters including 56 articles are designed to harness loyalty to the state from the monastic community and to stamp out the Dalai Lama from the hearts and minds of Tibetan people. In light of the new "TAR"-specific religious affairs regulations, religious repression in Tibet seems set to escalate further in 2007.
Two important changes occurred in the leadership of the so-called "TAR" in 2006. First, was the appointment of hardliner Zhang Qingli as the new "TAR" Party Secretary on 26 May 2006; he had already been acting Secretary since November 2005 and took full responsibility of the office in June 2006. The second was a major shift in the composition of Lhasa’s Communist Party Committee, which now seats only 8 Tibetans, or 26 percent of the Committee’s thirty seats.
Chushul (Ch: Qushui) Prison in Tibet, which began operational around April 2005, is highlighted in 2006. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr. Manfred Nowark, in his report to the UN Human Rights Council described the abominable conditions of the prison and called for the release of three prisoners (Jigme Gyatso, Bangri Jigme Tsamtrul Rinpoche and Lobsang Tsultrim) who he was able to meet convicted "of a political crime, possibly based on information extracted by torture". The Chinese authority in Tibet use the new prison to imprison Tibetans served with long terms. Not much is currently known about the prison but in light of the Special Rapporteur’s report, the conditions and maltreatment in Chushul Prison seems to be harsher than the notorious Drapchi Prison. It was reported that many Tibetan political prisoners served with long-term sentences have been transferred from Drapchi to Chushul Prison.
The status of education in Tibet is grim. About half the total exodus from Tibet continue to be minors below 18 years seeking educational opportunities in exile in India. Majority of the fleeing Tibetans who were struck with tragedy at the Nangpa Pass were minors. For many Tibetans who graduate from higher educational institutions in Tibet, discriminatory practices by Chinese authorities in hiring Tibetans for civil services are rampant. In late October 2006, Tibetan students of the Tibet University staged a rare public protest in front of government offices in Lhasa over discrimination by Chinese authorities in hiring Tibetan graduates to civil service jobs. Fake household registrations in Tibet by mainland Chinese students usurp opportunities meant for Tibetans.
In the early part of 2006, human rights organizations and free speech campaigners have heavily criticized internet corporate giants Google and Yahoo Inc. Bowing to official diktat, Google launched a censored service in China. Microsoft, Cisco were earlier criticized for their meekness in filtering information for internet users in China, and Google and Yahoo followed suit. […]
Click here for a copy of the Annual Report 2006
