Congressional Report Documents Atrocities Of China Rule In Tibet

WASHINGTON, DC (ANI): The U.S. Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) has released its annual report detailing ongoing human rights abuses in Tibet under Chinese rule. The report highlights the suppression of Tibetan religious, cultural, and ethnic rights, emphasizing severe restrictions on Tibetan Buddhism, the disproportionate targeting of Tibetans in political detentions, and the role of international corporations in facilitating state repression.

The report focuses on the continued crackdown on Tibetan religious practices, particularly Tibetan Buddhism, in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) and other Tibetan-inhabited areas. Chinese authorities have imposed strict bans on religious ceremonies and limited access to monasteries, particularly during significant cultural and religious events. Despite calls for dialogue, Chinese officials have shown little interest in resuming negotiations with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, with the last round of talks occurring in January 2010.

A significant concern is China’s “sinicization” policy, aimed at restricting Tibetan cultural expression and replacing Tibetan Buddhist practices with state-controlled versions of religion. The report details the forced relocation of monks from monasteries, such as the Atshog Monastery in Dragkar County, due to a hydropower project. Additionally, the creation of residential boarding schools undermines the transmission of Tibetan culture and language across generations.

The CECC report also highlights the disproportionate targeting of Tibetans in the Chinese state’s political repression. Tibetans represent a significant portion of political prisoners in China. Of the 2,764 political prisoners in the CECC’s database, 1,686 are detained for reasons related to religious or cultural affiliations, with Tibetan Buddhists making up the largest religious group among these detainees.

Furthermore, the report reveals that of the 1,693 active detentions with available ethnic information, nearly half—790—are ethnically Tibetan, underscoring the ethnic and cultural repression faced by Tibetans under Chinese rule.

The role of U.S. and foreign corporations in facilitating China’s human rights abuses is also discussed. One key example is Thermo Fisher Scientific, whose DNA sequencers were allegedly used by Chinese police to compile DNA databases of Tibetans and Uyghurs. The report raises concerns that this technology could be used for organ harvesting, a long-standing accusation against the Chinese government, particularly regarding Uyghur Muslims.

The CECC report also draws attention to protests in February 2024 in Derge County, Tibet, in response to a planned hydropower dam on the Drichu (Jinsha) River. Locals fear the dam will flood villages and monasteries, including the historic Wontoe 1 Monastery. The report condemns the Chinese government’s displacement plans, which lack meaningful community participation, and highlights the broader environmental and cultural destruction in Tibet caused by infrastructure projects like hydropower dams.

Another key finding is the Chinese government’s efforts to replace Tibetan with Mandarin Chinese in the region. Officials have increasingly adopted “Xizang” (the Mandarin term for Tibet) in English-language communications, a strategy to reinforce Chinese sovereignty over Tibet and erase Tibetan cultural and linguistic identity.

The CECC’s 2024 report paints a bleak picture of Tibet under Chinese rule, documenting severe restrictions on Tibetan religious practices and cultural rights, the targeting of Tibetans in political detentions, and the complicity of international corporations in facilitating these human rights abuses.

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