China detains 113 Tibetans in a week in expanding crackdown in Dzachuka

The crackdown in Dzachuka continues as 53 more Tibetans were detained following thorough house to house searches from 25 to 29 August in Wonpo Township in Dzachuka area in Sershul (Ch: Shiqu) County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, in the Tibetan province of Kham.              

Sixty Tibetans had been detained between 23-24 August as reported earlier by TCHRD.   

A reliable source informed TCHRD that following the latest mass detention, all monks above 18 years of age from Wonpo monastery had been ordered to report daily to the local law enforcement office from 31 August in batches of 20 to prove their innocence in ‘Illegal’ activities.           

The source added that the monks would most likely be made to sign documents promising not to engage in activities such as enshrining the Dalai Lama’s photo, maintaining contact with outsiders, and sharing information online, which are the key reasons for the expanding crackdown in Wonpo.

Four Tibetans are believed to have been released on 31 August: two laymen, a monk, and a woman. The situation continues to remain highly restricted across Sershul County with careful scrutiny of monasteries.               

TCHRD is concerned about the expanding crackdown and fears that more Tibetans will be arbitrarily detained and subjected to the discriminatory and unfair Chinese criminal justice system. 

We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all Tibetans detained and a halt to the crackdown. The crackdown in Wonpo violates the right to privacy, right to religion or belief, right to liberty and security, and the right to freedom from torture and other cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment. 

Arbitrary detention is prohibited by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Article 9(1) of which states, “Everyone has the right to liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. No one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.”