The report added that Tibetans face restrictions not only on their right to freedom of assembly, but also on expressing opinions or criticism against the “repressive and unjust government policies, both online and offline”
“Even as China ended its draconian zero-Covid policy measures in 2023, Tibetans continue to face escalating crackdowns on freedom of expression, religion and belief,” the Dharamshala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said in a report.
The annual report released on Wednesday stated that despite numerous calls from the international community to halt its forced assimilation policy, Chinese authorities imposed Chinese-medium education in Tibetan schools and amended local regulations in Tibetan areas to promote Mandarin Chinese.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is a registered non-profit human rights organisation based in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh. The annual report was prepared by TCHRD’s trilingual research team, working in Tibetan, Chinese and English. The team compiled and analysed information from a wide variety of sources on the human rights situation in Tibet in 2023.
The report added that Tibetans face restrictions not only on their right to freedom of assembly, but also on expressing opinions or criticism against the “repressive and unjust government policies, both online and offline”. Under the guise of maintaining social stability, Chinese authorities exercise direct supervision and censorship over all online platforms.
“The right to freedom of religion and belief faced further restrictions as Chinese authorities introduced more repressive regulations to exercise total control over the establishment, management and activities of the religious activity sites. Despite the relaxation of zero-Covid restrictions, it made no difference to Tibetan Buddhists, who continued to face restrictions in undertaking religious pilgrimages,” the report further.
According to the report, Tibetan detainees continue to face a litany of human rights violations. Those arbitrarily, preventatively or forcefully detained underwent unjust sentencing and torture, resulting in custodial deaths. Incommunicado detention in undisclosed locations without due process also remained a regular practice, leading to lasting health issues and premature deaths among political prisoners upon release.
Tenzin Dawa, executive director of TCHRD, said, “In 2023, China was re-elected to the UN Human Rights Council, the United Nation’s premier rights body responsible for protecting and promoting human rights globally. This re-election demonstrates how authoritarian states like China manipulate, obstruct and exploit the international human rights system by waging systematic campaigns to weaken and eviscerate the UN’s ability to enforce global compliance with international human rights standards.”