Accusing China of committing “cultural genocide” in Tibet, the Central Tibetan Administration on Sunday urged the UNHRC to hold a special session on “human right violations” by China in Tibet and other regions under it.
The Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration, also known as Tibetan government-in-exile, asked the international community to “unite and ensure that China fulfils its obligations under international laws including human rights obligations before it is too late”.
“The CTA and Tibetans from both inside and outside Tibet strongly support the call of the UN experts on the United Nations Human Rights Council to take urgent measures against the Chinese human rights violations,” said Lobsang Sangay, the premier of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
Sangay also accused China of committing rampant human right violations in Tibet and other places under it. “The tortures, enforced disappearances, and destructions of monasteries carried out by the government of China against Tibetans are acts of crimes against humanity and do not fall short of being categorized as 'cultural genocide',” he added.
“The persecution and suppression via high-tech surveillance by China have forced 154 Tibetans from different walks of life in Tibet to self-immolate as a mark of peaceful protest against the Chinese authorities since 2009,” alleged Sangay.
In the last six decades or so, Tibetans in Tibet are suffering under the “authoritarian rule” of Beijing, Sangay said.
China has been under the human rights violation scanner for its mistreatment of Uighur Muslims and for passing the security law on Hong Kong that threatens its autonomy and violates mandates of the agreement signed between China and Britain at the time of its handover in 1997, that granted citizens of the financial hub special personal freedoms.
Protesters in Tokyo, Japan took to the streets to protest Chinese President Xi Jinping’s dictatorial style of working.
The US House on June 27th, imposed visa sanctions on Chinese officials belonging to the Chinese Communist Party for their intent to pass the security law on Hong Kong.
According to Sangay, the persecution and suppression via high-tech surveillance by China have forced 154 Tibetans from different walks of life in Tibet to self-immolate as a mark of peaceful protest against the Chinese authorities since 2009. He added that China needed to be held accountable; otherwise it would have an adverse global impact as evidenced by the COVID-19 pandemic that originated in Wuhan.
--With PTI inputs
