Irish Government and NGOs Express Concern on Religious Freedom in Tibet & Also Raises Concern on the lives of the Tibetan Hunger Strikes
Geneva, 30 March - As the UN Commission began discussing the situation of religious freedom worldwide, Mr. Abdelfatth Amor, the UN Special Rapporteur
on Religious Intolerance, the Irish Government and NGOs expressed their concern on the situation of religious freedom and detention of religious figures in Tibet.
This afternoon, speaking on behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples, Mr. Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon urged the Commission to meet the legitimate demands of the indefinite Tibetan Hunger Strike in New Delhi by appointing a Special Rapporteur on Tibet.
The report of the Special Rapporteur to the Commission this year has raised the cases of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Chadrel Rinpoche and Yulo Dawa Tsering. The following paragraphs in the report refer to Tibet:
66. There have been many reports of harassment and threats (Azerbaijan, Romania, Uzbekistan); mistreatment (Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Iran, Pakistan, Romania, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan); arrests and detentions (Angola, Bulgaria, China, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam), and even disappearances China, Russian Federation, Uzbekistan) and murders (Iran, Iraq, Pakistan).
In the case of China in particular, besides the urgent appeal, communications have been sent concerning the situation of Ghedun Nylmo, an eight-year-old boy recognized by the Dalai Lama as the eleventh reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, and concerning allegations of prison sentences for "conspiring to split the country" and "leaking State secrets" imposed on Chadrel Rimpoche (a Tibetan monk), his assistant Champa Chung and another Tibetan named Samdrup, who allegedly communicated with the Dalai Lama during the search for the child reincarnation of the Panchen Lama.
67. In the context of the analysis of communications, the Special Rapporteur wishes to draw attention to the two urgent appeals addressed to China and the United Arab Emirates in the course of the period covered by the present report. The urgent appeal to China constituted a reminder about information concerning the detention of Yulo Dawa Tsering, a Tibetan monk, whom the Special Rapporteur interviewed during his visit to China in 1995 (E/CN.4/1995/91, para. 115). The Chinese Government replied that that monk had been conditionally released for good conduct on 6 November 1994, after having been sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for having taken part in uprisings. It added that Yulo Dawa Tsering had enjoyed all the civil rights set forth in the Chinese Constitution since the end of the period of conditional release on 15 December 1995.
73. China replied that 58-year-old Chadrel Rimpoche, former Vice-President of the Political Advisory Conference of the Autonomous Region of Tibet and former Director of the Board of Management of Trashilhumpo Monastery in Shigatse, together with his accomplices Champa Chung, former Deputy Head of the Board of Management of Dechingesanpochang (Shigatse district), and Samdrup, former Director-General of the Zhangmu subsidiary of the Gangjian Company in Tibet, had been found guilty of plotting against national unity, after an investigation and trial by the People's Intermediate Court in Shigatse district; in collusion with separatists abroad, they had engaged in activities jeopardizing national unity and threatening social stability and the development of Tibet. They were also found guilty of divulging State secrets in breach of the rules on security, and all three of them voluntarily admitted to their crimes.
74. On 21 April 1997, the People's Intermediate Court in Shigatse district sentenced Chadrel Rimpoche to five years' imprisonment for having plotted against national unity, with three years' suspension of his political rights, and two years' imprisonment for having divulged State secrets; the grounds invoked by the Court were articles 92, 186 (1), 23, 24, 51, 52, 64 and 59 (2) of the Criminal Code of the People's Republic of China. In view of the circumstances of the case and in conformity with the law, the Court reduced the total sentence to six years' imprisonment, but still with three years' suspension of political rights. Champa Chung and Samdrup were sentenced to four years' imprisonment with two years' suspension of political rights and to two years' imprisonment with one year's suspension of political rights respectively.
75. As the case involved State secrets, the Court decided, in accordance with article 152 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the People's Republic of China, that the trial would not be public, and informed the accused of the grounds for its decision at the commencement of the proceedings. Chadrel Rimpoche and Champ Chung said that they would not use the services of lawyers and that they would themselves exercise their right of defence. Samdrup chose a defence counsel. After the hearing, all three accused made their final statements. The Court handed down its verdict, which all three accepted, stating that they would not appeal.
76. According to the information provided by China, "Chinese citizens enjoy freedom of religious belief. Chinese legislation guarantees the right to participate in normal religious activities and the legitimate rights of the followers of a religion. Nevertheless, the law prohibits anyone from using religion to engage in any activities that disturb the social order or jeopardize State security. Chadrel Rimpoche and the two other individuals were given prison sentences for having plotted against national unity and divulged State secrets, which had nothing to do with their religious beliefs. It was because State secrets were involved that the trial of Chadrel Rimpoche and Champa Chung was not".
On 27 March, Mrs. Anne Anderson, the Irish Ambassador in Geneva told the Commission: "There are places such as Tibet where the population has suffered from sustained attempts to undermine their ethnic, cultural and religious identity."
On the same day, Mr. Max-Peter Stussi, speaking for the Christain Solidarity International said: "In China, despite its economic openness, religious believers, Buddhists, Christains and Muslims are still victims of persecution from the side of the state. The exiled Tibetan Dalai Lama, and the imprisoned Catholic Bishop Zhu Zhemin are two powerful symbols of this persecution which directly or indirectly affects the whole population of the People's Republic of China.
Today, Mr. Ngawang C. Drakmargyapon speaking on behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples at the Commission made the following statement on Tibet:
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Society for Threatened Peoples has been concerned with the deterioration of the human rights situation in Tibet, particularly religious freedoms for a number of years. Therefore, we welcome that the Special Rapporteur has, in his report this year, once again drawn the attention of the Commission to specific cases of religious figures in Tibet who remain in incommunicado detention.
However, the lack of response from the Chinese authorities on the whereabouts of 8-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (the Eleventh Panchen Lama of Tibet), Chadrel Rinpoche and Yulo Dawa Tsering, is also a clear indication that China is refusing co-operation with mechanism of this Commission. Nevertheless, we hope that the Chinese authorities will invite the Special Rapporteur to make a follow-up visit to China and Tibet.
Mr. Chairman, there are a number of reasons why we believe religious freedom remains suppressed in Tibet today. Following are some of them:
- The detention of the young Panchen Lama, Chadrel Rinpoche and a large
number of monks and nuns.
- China's interference in the ancient re-incarnation procedures of Tibetan
Buddhism.
- The call of the Chinese authorities to turn Tibet into "an atheist" region where only "communist spiritual civilisation" will prevail.
- The policy which stated that "Buddhism must conform to socialism and not
socialism to Buddhism".
- The politicisation of Tibet's religious institutions whereby hundreds of communist cadres are sent to "re-educate" monks and nuns to obtain written
declarations affirming "Tibet is a part of China", denouncing His Holiness the Dalai Lama and recognising the pretender Panchen Lama.
- The anti-Dalai Lama Campaign launched by Chinese authorities to openly denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama as a religious leader and banning of his portraits.
- The restrictions placed on the transmission of major religious teachings
when a very few Tibetan masters remain alive in Tibet.
- The ban on holding of major religious ceremonies like the Great Prayer Festival in central Lhasa.
- The control of activities in monasteries and nunneries through video cameras and the democratic management committees.
- The expulsion of over 2,800 monks and nuns from their monasteries and nunneries in 1996 and 1997 for refusing to be re-educated.
- The restriction placed on admission of new monks and nuns and the imposition of quota system on the number of monks or nuns each monastery or nunnery can have.
- The attempts to ban traditional Tibetan burial practices.
- Obstacles placed on the study of Tibetan language and literature.
These realities clearly demonstrate China=92s deliberate policy of restricting the practice, preservation and promotion of Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan cultural heritage. It is because of such policies that the very survival of the religious, cultural and national identity of the Tibetan people remains threatened today.
Mr. Chairman and distinguished delegates, it is for the above reasons and the lack of UN action on Tibet that six Tibetans, aged between 25 and 70, launched a hunger strike unto death in New Delhi on 10 March. As their sacrifice for Tibet enters its 21st day today, they call upon this Commission on Human Rights to appoint a Special Rapporteur to investigate the human rights situation in Tibet.
Since no one, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, has been successful to
stop this hunger strike, Society for Threatened Peoples remains deeply concerned about the lives of the six Tibetans. We therefore appeal to this Commission to urgently consider implementing their legitimate demand and save their lives before it is too late.
Thank you.
Note: Names of the six Tibetan Hunger Strikers are: Dawa Gyalpo, Dawa Tsering, Youngdung Tsering, Kunsang, Karma Sichoe and Mrs. Palzom."
Forwarded by
Tibet Bureau for UN Affairs
Geneva, Switzerland
