A call for human rights for Tibetans and Uyghurs

Shortly before the 17th EU-China Summit, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) has sent an appeals to the European government leaders, asking them to advocate for the human rights of the Tibetans and Uyghurs as well as for more Internet freedom in China. "Since President Xi Jinping took office, the situation of the Uyghurs and Tibetans has deteriorated dramatically. Peaceful protesters are being arrested and detained for years, human rights activists are criminalized – and there are systematic attempts to fuel ethnic tensions," says a letter the STP sent to the EU leaders. The STP also points out that the ever new restrictions on Internet freedom are also limiting trade between China and Europe. In a recent survey by the European Chamber of Commerce, 57 percent of the European companies that are actively involved in China’s economy stated that the Internet restrictions in the People's Republic are impeding their business objectives. "Human rights in China are not some kind of luxury option, they are an important prerequisite for stable conditions and for the development of the trade relations with Europe," said Ulrich Delius, the STP's China-expert, in Göttingen on Sunday.

"Out of respect for the life's work of the Dalai Lama, who celebrated his 80th birthday on July 6, 2015, and for the decades of commitment to peace and understanding, the EU must demand respect for his birthday as well as towards the fundamental human rights of the Tibetans," said Delius. "This is not only about protecting religious belief and freedom of expression, but also about respect towards the traditional nomadic lifestyle and the natural resources in Tibet. These issues are also of economic importance in the EU-China dialogue, since China's industry continues to exploit natural resources in Tibet and Xinjiang / East Turkestan in order to keep expanding into the European markets."

Recently, several Tibetans were arrested for celebrating the birthday of their highest religious dignitary who is living in exile in India. Before, China had stepped up the security measures in Tibet in order to keep people from celebrating the Dalai Lama's birthday. Thus, two Tibetans were arrested in Machu district on June 5, 2015. They were accused of having organized a traditional horse race in the honor of the Dalai Lama, advertising the cultural sporting event on leaflets and posters. In the weeks before, the authorities had repeatedly announced that no public events would be allowed to take place around the Dalai Lama's birthday. "We fear that there will be more arrests in the next few days," warned Delius. In the district of Rebkong, the 25-year-old Tibetan Tsering Dondrup was arrested for distributing birthday greetings through the social media platform "WeChat".

Header photo: Christopher Michel / Flickr