Organization: Tibetan Computer Resource Center, Dharamsala
TIBETAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
Human Rights Update: 15 November 1996
Volume 1: Number 1
The Tibetan Centre For Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) was registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act 21 of 1860 on 4 May 1996. The TCHRD was formed with the aim of promoting respect for and the development of human rights as an essential requisite for a democratic polity and process, to familiarise and educate Tibetans with the concepts of human rights and to work with other human rights and democracy organisations world-wide which have compatible goals.
Of particular importance at the present time are the efforts of the TCHRD to take active measures for the protection of human rights within Tibet. The TCHRD researches, documents and monitors developments within Tibet on the entire spectrum of human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
THE WORDS OF NGAWANG CHOEPHEL
Last month the People's Republic of China (PRC) officially acknowledged the detention of Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan musician and scholar arrested by Chinese authorities in August 1995 whilst travelling in Tibet. Ngawang was undertaking some preliminary research for the creation of a documentary on the traditional folk music and performing arts of Tibet.
According to Mr Shao Wenguang of the Chinese Embassy in Washington, Ngawang Choephel is suspected of gathering "sensitive intelligence" and engaging in "illegal separatist activities" with the funding of certain unnamed Americans and at the instigation of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. It appears Ngawang is thereby suspected of violating article 4, section 2(5) of the PRC's National Security Law. If convicted under this section Ngawang can even face the death sentence.
Such accusation was officially and strenuously denied by the Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, and further support for the verity of Ngawang Choephel's purpose in Tibet is to be found in his own words. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Ngawang wrote to a close female relative in Dharamsala (her name has been withheld for security reasons) and sent the letter from there before proceeding on to Tibet. The letter arrived in Dharamsala on 7 July 1996.
The original of this signed letter, written in English, was passed on to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), and the following has been reprinted exactly as written by Ngawang: "My main reason to go into Tibet is to research and collect as many folk songs as I could. My friend Kathryn is a photographer and I have a camcorder. This is really very exciting and little scary too... Anyhow I'm determined to do what I'm supposed to rather than any political activities and propaganda."
The TCHRD has also been privy to Ngawang Choephel's original signed submission in which he outlines the purpose of his filming in Tibet. The goal is, he writes: "of creating a film that both examines the causes of the decay of Tibetan culture and documents and preserves the remaining oral and cultural traditions... In order to prepare for footage in Tibet, an organizational solo trip will also be necessary." He goes on to propose the subjects of his footage; ceremonial songs and dance, and personal interviews with elders regarding the history of their knowledge of dance, music and storytelling.
There is not a single reference, in his letter nor his submission (both have been made available in their entirety on World Tibet Network electronic mail), to any purpose other than the research of customary musical practices. Ngawang was a member of the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts and a Fulbright scholar and teacher of ethnomusicology at Middlebury College in Vermont, and his planned visit to Tibet revealed only the most peaceful of intentions.
These two documents illustrate the glaring inconsistencies in the claims of the PRC. To accuse a young Tibetan scholar and musician, armed only with an amateur camcorder, of funded political espionage is not only outlandish but completely groundless.
We again urge the Chinese authorities to provide some support for their accusations of illegal intentions and conspiracy regarding Ngawang Choephel. Ngawang has been held incommunicado for more than 14 months without charge or trial. We call upon the Chinese authorities to grant Ngawang Choephel his full civil and political rights including access to legal representation and a fair trial, and to abide by the universal standards applicable to those in detention.
We encourage those innumerable groups and individuals who have shown overwhelming support for Ngawang Choephel to make similar calls in their continuing demand for justice.
ACTIVIST FLEES TIBET
The following is taken from an account provided to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy this week by Jamyang Dargyal, a new arrival from Tibet. He fled Tibet for India in 1993, but returned to his homeland in 1995 determined to make Tibetans aware of international support for the Tibetan cause. He carried with him speeches of the Dalai Lama, copies of the foreign-produced Chinese "Democratic Magazine" and other publications.
"Unfortunately upon reaching Kyidong I was caught by the Chinese Army, detained for 18 days, and systematically tortured during interrogations. I was than transferred to Shigatse, Lhasa, Xiling and Drotsang within the space of a year and endured various forms of torture in each of these prisons."
Whilst detained in the Nyari Detention Centre at Shigatse, Jamyang met with a number of prominent Tibetan political prisoners, including Gyaltrul Rinpoche, Jampa Tendar and Ngawang Choephel. "The majority of prisoners in Nyari were Tibetans and I had realised from my own experience that the prisoners were forced to endure innumerable treatments of an inhumane nature". Jamyang still carries the scars from severe torture inflicted upon him during his detention at Nyari.
After six months in Nyari, he was handed over to Public Security Officials, detained a further four months, subjected to further interrogations and finally placed under house arrest. Jamyang again fled Tibet for India, arriving in October 1996.
Discrimination In School
The following information was provided by Jamyang Dargyal who had studied in this school for three years.
Bayan County Nationality School in Amdo (Chinese: Qinghai) is a day-cum-boarding school primarily for ethnic minorities. The school admits Tibetans and Chinese Muslims. In the early 1980's the school fees and expenses were taken on by the government and a monthly stipend of 24 yaun per student was provided. Most of the boarders in the school were Tibetan while Chinese Muslims and other Chinese stayed with their parents all of whom lived nearby. Since the Tibetan parents lived far from the school, their children were compelled to stay in the school's hostel. From early 1985 many Chinese students were admitted to the school which led to the exclusion of the Tibetan language from the curriculum. All of the Tibetans in the boarding school were then required to pay 180 kg. of barley, one kg. of potatoes, two and a half litres of oil, and charcoal to the school authorities in addition to expenses for stationery.
Tibetans are referred to as "pagmi" (Chinese: phiya) which is a derogatory term for those who wear animal skins. They are also called "chedak" which means one who licks utensils. "Allo" is the Chinese term for "kugpa" or fool which is also a common insult. The Tibetans are systematically humiliated in this manner. The teachers and the authorities in the schools are condescending and dislike Tibetans. In all disputes between a Chinese and a Tibetan pupil it is invariably the Tibetan student who is expelled. Tibetans are harassed by the Chinese when they leave the school and are often beaten. Tamdin, a pupil at the school, was stabbed and had to be admitted to hospital for two months. These events cumulatively forced a large number of Tibetan students to leave the school. In 1992, 30 Tibetan students left the school (which has a strength of 850) and a similar number are reported to have left the school every year since.
The school has a faculty and staff of 80 people of which there are only five male Tibetans: Kelsang (50), Sonam (35), Shenpa (27), Norbu (48), Pemakyi (85).
All decisions regarding the functioning of the school are made by the Chinese. Out of the 850 students 250 are Tibetans while the rest are ethnic Chinese. The subjects taught in the school are: Chinese Language, Mathematics, Political Science, Science, Geography and History, Environment, English.
Most of the teachers are Chinese. The Political Science teacher is Chinese and he teaches; Marxist and Chinese ideology, the Chinese constitution, and Chinese administration. However the Tibetan students are not interested in any of these subjects.
PRC Sentences Pro-Democracy Leader
On 30 October 1996 the PRC sentenced pro-democracy leader Wang Dan to 11 years imprisonment. Just weeks earlier, Liu Xiaobo, another prominent pro-democracy activist, was sent to labour camp for 3 years for "re-education through labour" without trial for penning an open letter to China calling for Tibetan autonomy and labour reforms.
A speaker for Human Rights Watch stated; "The government has effectively wiped out the Chinese dissident movement for the foreseeable future". Amnesty International, in an open letter to PRC Prime Minister Li Peng, expressed grave concern at the trend towards increased repression in China, despite international claims that Beijing is working to improve human rights protection in China.
While Wang Dan was charged with "conspiring to subvert the government", Amnesty International says, "It is clear that the "crimes" imputed to Wang Dan amount to no more than the peaceful exercise of his fundamental right to freedom of expression and association... Amnesty International considers that Wang Den s detention violates international standards." Wang Dan's harsh sentence has similarly attracted criticism from several countries including Britain, France, Sweden and Germany.
While there are plans to reform the criminal law of the PRC in 1997, including the abolition of ill-defined "counter-revolutionary crimes", there is widespread concern that the new State Security and State Secrets legislation will similarly provide for arbitary detention and politically motivated prosecution.
Tibet's Longest Imprisoned Political Prisoner
Tibetans suspected of opposing policies of the PRC have frequently been detained as political prisoners for extraordinarily lengthy periods. Many remain in detention today, having spent the best part of their lives behind bars. We shall be profiling some of these prisoners of conscience in future Human Rights Updates, beginning in this Update with Tibet's longest imprisoned political prisoner, Tanak Jigme Sangpo.
Born 1926, Tanak Jigme Sangpo was reportedly first arrested in 1960 while teaching at Lhasa Primary School and charged with `corrupting the minds of children with reactionary ideas'. In 1964 he was sentenced to three years imprisonment in Sangyip Prison over comments regarding Chinese repression of Tibetans, and was then sent to labour camp in Lhasa. In 1970 he was sentenced to ten years hard labour in Sangyip Prison on charges of inciting his niece to escape to India to report Chinese atrocities to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Tanak Jigme Sangpo was released from prison in 1979 and transferred to the Reform-Through-Labour Unit 1 in Nyethang, 60 kilometres west of Lhasa, but was arrested again on 3 September 1983 by the Lhasa City Public Security Bureau. Tanak had been seen on 12 July 1983 pasting a personally written wall-poster protesting against Chinese authority at the main gate of Tsuklakhang Temple in Lhasa, and several days later had worn a white banner over his body to symbolise the ultimate realisation of Tibetan people's freedom and independence. Even after arrest Tanak's determination was unabated as he sang the Tibetan national anthem and repeated his claim that he would continue to struggle for Tibetan independence.
In the official sentence paper, issued on 30 November 1983, the Lhasa City Intermediate People's Court noted that the defendant had evidently never seriously re-considered his past "counter-revolutionary crimes". He was therefore charged with "spreading and inciting counter-revolutionary propaganda" and sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in addition to five years deprivation of civil and political rights.
On 1 December 1988, Tanak was again prosecuted for raising "reactionary slogans" relating to Chinese suppression of Tibet whilst in Drapchi prison (also called the "Tibet Autonomous Region" Prison). Found once more guilty of "spreading and inciting counter-revolutionary propaganda", his sentence was increased by five years and the period of deprivation of civil and political rights extended a further year.
On 6 December 1991, 64 year-old Tanak led a protest at Drapchi Prison during a visit by Swiss government officials in which a number of political prisoners shouted slogans supporting the Dalai Lama and calling for Chinese to leave Tibet. After the delegation was requested to leave, Tanak was dragged from the room and beaten so severely that his body turned numb. Six weeks later he was reported to still be in solitary confinement and suffering a new form of `cold cell' torture. Large sheets of metal had been erected on either side of him to lower the temperature of the cell and he had been refused any extra clothes.
Tanak was subsequently sentenced on 4 April 1992 to a further eight years imprisonment, and an additional three years deprivation of civil and political rights. This brings his current sentence to 28 years and by the time he is released on 3 September 2011 at the age of 85, he shall have spent 41 years in prison. Today Tanak is 70 years old, he is extremely weak and his eyesight is rapidly deteriorating. Yet his great belief in the Tibetan cause and his prevailing sense of justice has never waned. It is vital that the international community similarly continues to demand justice for Tanak and the many other political prisoners like him.
Tibetan Dissident Under House Arrest
Yulo Dawa Tsering, a 58 year-old abbot at Ganden Monastery and former teacher of Philosophy at the University of Tibet, was the first Tibetan to be arrested when the Tibetan independence movement regained vigour in 1987. He was arrested in December 1987 and sentenced for 10 years as a result of having spoken about Tibetan independence with an Italian tourist six months earlier.
The Tibetan lama, now 68 years old and having spent a total of some 27 years of his life imprisoned, was released on parole on 4 November 1994. When, three weeks later, a United Nations Human Rights team was officially invited to Lhasa to assess China's record on religious freedom, Yulo Dawa Tsering was allowed to meet with the UN Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance, M. Abdelfattah Amor. The lama spoke of his concern about the version of Tibet's history that is known to the international community and said that he had been arrested for political reasons. He did not accept official statements that he had been released for good conduct and recognition of his guilt.
The Tibet Information Network (TIN) recently reported that Yulo Dawa Tsering has been placed under what is effectively house arrest, apparently as a punishment for his comments to UN officials two years ago.
Three members of the European Parliament visiting Lhasa in early November were insistent that they should be allowed to meet with Yulo Dawa Tsering. Finally a ten minute meeting was arranged at an unnamed destination, amidst high security, with Chinese officials present and photographs forbidden. A Tibetan-English interpreter was not provided, and communication took place through two interpreters; the first from Tibetan to Chinese and the next from Chinese to English.
Despite these difficulties, the MEPs concluded that Yulo Dawa Tsering appeared to be under some kind of restraint. While officially "under parole", they reported that the lama `was not the master of his own movements'. M. Amor has commented that he will be paying very close attention to this report.
DALAI LAMA CONDEMNS CULTURAL GENOCIDE IN TIBET
During an interview with Le Monde daily newspaper in his recent visit to France, His Holiness the Dalai Lama condemned China's cultural genocide in Tibet, although he stressed that he remained open to negotiations with Beijing without pre-conditions. His Holiness emphasised that he was not demanding Tibet's independence, only its autonomy.
The Human Rights situation had worsened in Tibet said His Holiness, and emphaised that protecting the cultural heritage of Tibet has become his main concern.
TO RECEIVE THE HUMAN RIGHTS UPDATE
With the creation of the new Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, we wish to update our mailing list of groups and individuals interested in current developments relating to human rights and democracy. If you would like to receive our regular fortnightly Human Rights Update, please forward your name and address to us at:
Tibetan Centre for HUman Rights and Democracy
Narthang Building, Gangchen Kyishong
Dharamsala H.P., India
Ph: +91 1892 22457/22510 Fax: +91 1892 24957
E-mail: diir@dsala.tibetnet.ernet.in
