TCHRD Statement on Human Rights Day
Human rights empower people to overcome subjugation and oppression. Regardless of who we are, where we live or what we do, we all want the same things: safety, dignity, and freedom,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in his message for this year’s Human Rights Day. His words underscore the foundational promise of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a promise that continues to remain profoundly unrealized for Tibetans inside Tibet today.
As the world commemorates Human Rights Day, the human rights situation in Tibet continues to deteriorate under policies that undermine the dignity and freedoms of the Tibetan people. Over the past year, escalating restrictions on fundamental rights have deepened the climate of fear and repression. Tibetans face relentless persecution for exercising their rights to expression, assembly, religion, and culture. New layers of surveillance and censorship have created an environment in which even peaceful and lawful acts from preserving the Tibetan language to expressing cultural identity are treated as threats to state security.
This year alone, numerous Tibetans were taken into custody on vague and politically motivated charges, many of them punished simply for exercising their fundamental rights. Tibetan entrepreneur Dorje Tashi, imprisoned for years on fabricated charges, continues to suffer severe mistreatment and deteriorating health inside prison. In August, Geshe Lharampa Kunchok Chodrak, a senior monk from Kirti Monastery, was detained amid an intensified campaign targeting monastic institutions. That same month, Tibetan singer Asang was detained again shortly after his release for performing a song commemorating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. And in January, the untimely death of a Tibetan village leader after seven months in detention along with the ongoing disappearance of 20 fellow villagers taken during the same sweep underscored the grave risks Tibetans face when caught in the machinery of state repression.
Added to this climate of fear is the growing pressure on Tibetan cultural and religious institutions. Monasteries remain under intrusive surveillance; religious education is tightly controlled; and efforts to assimilate Tibetan identity into state-approved narratives continue unabated. Despite these, Tibetans continue to demonstrate extraordinary courage. Through acts of cultural preservation, quiet defiance, and steadfast resilience, they uphold the universal values celebrated today.
In honor of this year’s Human Rights Day, beginning 11 December, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) will highlight six Tibetan human rights defenders who remain imprisoned for exercising their most basic rights, many of them spending lengthy prison terms, some even life in prison. By telling their stories, we aim to honor their courage, remember their sacrifices, and call for their immediate and unconditional release.
TCHRD urges the international community to hold the Chinese government accountable for its human rights violations in Tibet and to prioritize human rights principles in all bilateral engagements with China. The expanding reach of Chinese authoritarianism threatens global values of freedom, democracy, and human rights not only within Tibet but across borders. At this critical moment, it is essential that the international community stand firmly in defense of these universal principles, and in solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet.
