Human Rights Council
Rights Abuses in Tibet
Tibet, an ancient country, was invaded by China in 1950 and its unique culture has been dramatically altered since then as the Chinese government attempts to systematically erode Tibetan culture, language, natural resources and overall identity. Tibet wishes to be free from China who still recognizes Tibet as part of their nation. A free Tibet however, does not mean the majority of Tibetans are for independence, but as explained by the Dalai Lama, for autonomy. Tibetan human rights are being violated as they are oppressed by the Chinese government and killed; the Chinese government is focused on authoritarian rule (since the communist party gained power in the 1940s and 1950s.) Many were killed during demonstrations marking the anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. Tibetans face the every-day reality of torture, which the Chinese use as a weapon of dissent, creating a climate of fear among the nation, and are denied basic freedoms.
The Chinese government crackdown on Tibet includes: shutting off the country from the rest of the world, controlling most of its media (internet) and instating military and police service. The Chinese government believes that Tibet is backward and needs to modernize more, so they have attempted to instate a polity of rapid economic development there, which has manifested into a political problem revolving around issues of freedom, repression and autonomy/independence. Tibetans are resentful that they don’t see any economic prosperity and growth while some ethnic Chinese (encouraged to emigrate there) are seeing wealth benefits. China is fueling their own fear of separatist movements through these modernization policies.
Some Western forces are drawing awareness to the human rights violations in Tibet; this includes protests and media reporting. There is a near-unanimous condemnation on the way Chinese government is handling the Tibetan situation, but because nations have their own interests in mind affecting whether they should penalize the rapidly growing and strengthening nation, little is actually being done. There are also organizations involved in empowering Tibet to become free, but it is thought that some of these organizations may have questionable motives.