Numerous nations, including Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have expressed their concerns about the Chinese government’s ongoing human rights violations in Tibet during the UN Human Rights Council session that is currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland from June 19 to July 14. According to the Tibet Bureau-Geneva, a total of 65 nations, as well as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, brought up the subject of Tibet and voiced support for the basic rights of Tibetans.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights explicitly called attention to China’s violations of rights, especially its assimilation programs that erode Tibetans’ sense of identity, in her global update. The UN Human Rights Office has to be established in China for the first time, the High Commissioner said, adding that additional interaction with China is being sought. The High Commissioner urged China to consult Special Procedures mandate holders for advice.
Several UN member states spoke on the Tibet problem in their remarks after the High Commissioner’s update. The Czech Republic encouraged China to uphold its international commitments and safeguard the fundamental rights of all people, underlining in particular the need of putting an end to the grave and pervasive human rights abuses in Tibet. The UK also urged China to abide by its international commitments and stop violating human rights in Tibet.
Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden all voiced their great concern for Tibet’s human rights situation and brought up problems including the persecutory treatment of human rights advocates. In line with the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) about human rights abuses in China, Australia brought attention to the maltreatment of Tibetan women in Tibet.
The United nations called attention to the appalling human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese government against religious, linguistic, national, and ethnic minorities in a joint statement on behalf of 65 member nations. The declaration listed a number of human rights abuses, including as the destruction of culturally significant places, linguistic restrictions, the compulsion of children into the educational system, and severe restrictions on travel, livelihood, education, and healthcare.
The United States applauded the UN Special Rapporteur on Education for bringing light on the Chinese government-run boarding schools in Tibet during an interactive debate on particular subject topics. The US highlighted grave concerns about these institutions’ treatment of human rights, highlighting the fact that they forcefully remove almost a million Tibetan children from their families.
The world community is concerned about China’s human rights record in Tibet, as seen by the vehement criticism from several nations and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. There is increasing agreement that the situation for human rights in the area has to be addressed, as seen by demands on China to uphold its international commitments and safeguard Tibetans’ rights.
