05/10/2012
A new report illustrates the dramatic human rights situation in Tibet: Europe must act!
Dalai Lama will ask for help in Europe – Bianca Jagger supports Tibetans
On the occasion of the Dalai Lama's upcoming visit to Europe and the European Tibet Solidarity Rally, the Society for Threatened Peoples International (STPI) will publish a new report on the human rights situation in Tibet on Thursday. The report – which is 18 pages long – documents mass arrests, disappearances, unfair trials and systematic violations of religious freedom and of the Tibetan's language rights. The European governments are urged to advocate for the deployment of a European delegation to Tibet and to appoint a EU Special Coordinator for Tibet.
On Thursday afternoon, the human rights activist Bianca Jagger will hand over the report to the British government in London. The religious leader of the Tibetans, the Dalai Lama, will arrive in Europe on May 16. He will visit Slovenia, Austria and Great Britain and will appeal for more help for Tibet. The European Tibet Solidarity Rally is planned for 26 May 2012 in Vienna.
The report states that the human rights violations in Tibet have increased dramatically since spring 2008. Since then, 1134 Tibetans have been arrested for political reasons. At least 527 political prisoners are still in Chinese custody. Until this day, the Chinese government has ignored appeals of the United Nations Convention against Torture and of UN human rights experts, that the fundamental human rights of the arrested Tibetans must be observed.
The report also documents the ongoing involvement of the Communist Party in matters of Tibetan Buddhism, the forced resettlement of up to two million nomads, the suppression of protests against controversial mining projects and the systematic suppression of the Tibetan language. As a special sign of alarm, the authors mention the increasing number of self-immolations of Tibetans, protesting against China's policy on Tibet by committing suicide. At least 35 Tibetans already turned against themselves this way – and 27 people have died in such a suicide attempt.
You can download the report here.
