3 May 2013
The United States government has condemned China for its “severe repression” in Tibet, in two separate reports, recently published. Reports claim that conditions regarding religious freedom in Tibet are “worse now than at any time in the past decade.”” and that human rights in Tibet “deteriorated markedly” during 2012.
US commission condemns religious repression in Tibet
He 30 April, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (an independent body that makes policy recommendations to the United States government) issued its annual report on the status of religious freedom around the world.
uscirf-logoThe report states that religious freedom conditions in Tibet are “worse now than at any time in the past decade” and that China is one of the “most atrocious violators” of religious freedom in the world, along with countries such as North Korea, Iran and Sudan.
The report, which reviews the events of the twelve months up to the 31 of January of 2013, points out the increasing efforts of the Chinese government, to control Tibetan Buddhism through regulations and direct management, including the positioning of government officials in each monastery of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The report also notes the increase in protest self-immolations by Tibetans and states: “The Chinese authorities have not recognized that their repressive policies have contributed to the self-immolations, and instead they call them “terrorist acts”, orchestrated with the “instigation and support” del Dalai Lama.
The commission recommends that the Chinese government “release all those imprisoned, detained or disappeared for their religious beliefs, activities or defense of religious freedom”. Also urges China to implement all UN recommendations on Tibet, allowing visits by UN Special Rapporteurs and allowing immediate access of international observers to all detention centers.
“Severe repression” in Tibet
He 19 April, the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, officially released the Human Rights Report of the Department of State of 2012. In reviewing human rights around the world, The report stated that the Chinese government was engaged in “severe repression” in Tibet and that human rights had “markedly deteriorated” during 2012.
the US Secretary of State, John Kerry
The US government. highlighted human rights violations in Tibet, including extrajudicial executions, torture, imprisonment for political or religious activity, prison conditions, arbitrary arrests, denial of fair public trials and discrimination. He also examined the situation of freedom of expression and of the press, freedom of movement and evaluated the self-immolations of Tibetans.
The executive summary of the Tibet section of the report notes that during the year 2012 “the respect and protection of human rights by the Chinese government, In the autonomous region of Tibet (TAR, by its acronym in English) and other Tibetan areas deteriorated considerably.".
It was also pointed out that, “under the banner of maintaining social stability, the government (chino) dedicated itself to severe repression of the exclusive religious heritage, cultural and linguistic of Tibet, by strictly limiting, by all means, the civil rights of China's ethnically Tibetan population, including freedoms of expression, religion, association and movement.
Regarding self-immolations, The report noted that China “routinely denigrates the Dalai Lama, and blame the” Dalai clique “and” other external forces ” of instigating self-immolations”.
