US Tells China To Stop Repression In Tibet
As a key advocate for Tibetan human rights, the United States of America urged China to ensure the rights of the people of Tibet and to uphold its international commitments to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.
China has been known for its repressive rule over Tibet
where Tibetans are harassed, detained, and mistreated while seeking to peacefully practice their religion.
In her remarks in Geneva in Switzerland at the “Lockdown in Tibet” Event, Under Secretary Sarah Sewall for for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, said the Tibetan people, like people all around the world, should be able to enjoy their fundamental freedoms enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Under Secretary Sewall said it is timely and fitting that barriers and challenges that Tibetans face are discussed in Geneva on the margins of the Human Rights Council.
“The United States has consistently urged the Chinese government to uphold its international commitments to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms.” – Ms. Sewall
In addition, the US called on Chinese authorities to release Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and other prisoners of conscience, and to allow Dhondup Wangchen to be reunited with his family.
China’s Strict Controls On Tibetan’s Freedom Of Religion And Assembly
According to the State Department’s country reports on human rights, China has “engaged in the severe repression of Tibet’s religious, cultural, and linguistic heritage by, among other means, strictly curtailing the civil rights of China’s ethnic Tibetan population, including the freedoms of speech, religion, association, assembly, and movement.”
China is also criticized for its efforts to control the reincarnation of Tibetan monks and it was “destroying the autonomy of religious communities.”
In addition, the International Religious Freedom has noted China’s growing interference in the centuries-old system of recognizing reincarnate Tibetan Buddhist lamas. Aside from that, Chinese authorities have also taken actions to denigrate His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Religious restrictions in Tibetan areas have dramatically worsened in recent years.
Discriminatory religious policies exacerbated tensions between Han Chinese and Tibetan Buddhists and triggered the 2008 riots that claimed the lives of Han and Tibetan civilians and police officers.
US On China And Tibet
The Obama Administration’s goals are twofold in addressing the human rights challenges in Tibet and China: to promote a substantive dialogue between the Chinese Government and the Dalai Lama or his representatives, and to help sustain Tibet’s unique religious, linguistic, and cultural heritages.
The United States believes failure to address the problems could lead to greater tensions inside China and could be an impediment to China’s social and economic development.
