The U.S. State Department says it’s ‘deeply concerned’ over the reports of mass arrests.
The U.S. State Department has expressed concerns about the recent mass arrests of Tibetans in China in a sweeping clampdown by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in response to the ethnic group’s peaceful protests against the construction of a hydroelectric dam.
More than 1,000 Tibetans, including monks, were arrested on Feb. 23,
according to the International Tibet Network rights group. The arrests took place at Derge, a town in Dege County in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southwestern China’s Sichuan Province.
According to the rights group, the dam construction project will forcibly displace residents of two villages and submerge six monasteries.
“The current status of those arrested is currently unknown,” the group stated, noting that those arrested were being held at different locations throughout Dege County.
“Deeply concerned by reports of the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] mass arrests of Tibetans protesting construction of a dam that threatens displacement of villages & destruction of monasteries,” Uzra Zeya, U.S. undersecretary of state for civilian security, democracy, and human rights, wrote in a
post on X on Feb. 25.
“[China] must respect human rights & freedom of expression and include Tibetans in the development & implementation of water and land management policies.
“These centuries-old monasteries are home to hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist monks & contain irreplaceable cultural relics.
“[The United States] stands with Tibetans in preserving their unique cultural, religious, and linguistic identity.”
The protests started on Feb. 14, the International Tibet Network said, when at least 300 Tibetans protested at Dege County Hall. Arrests of more than 100 protesting Tibetan monks and local residents followed, beginning on Feb. 22, according to the rights group.
Chinese police officers reportedly used water cannons, pepper spray, and tasers to subdue the Feb. 22 protesters,
according to Radio Free Asia. Some of those arrested were admitted to a local hospital for medical treatment, the outlet
said.
“Outrageous what’s happening in Tibet right now ... colonizers stealing everything we have and yet Tibetans continuing to resist by the thousands,” Tibetan Association of Boston advocacy officer Tenzin Yangzom, who also works for the International Tibet Network,
wrote on X on Feb. 24.
Benedict Rogers, human rights activist and deputy chair of the UK Conservative Party Human Rights Commission,
took to X to call the CCP’s repression of Tibetans “appalling and outrageous.”
“Let us not forget Tibet. Let’s #FreeTibet,” Mr. Rogers wrote.
Tibet
The CCP
invaded Tibet in 1949 and forced a 17-point agreement upon Tibetans to legitimize the regime’s rule. Despite promises of Tibetan autonomy on paper, the CCP has turned the region into a
surveillance state and installed
labor camps.
The Dalai Lama, the region’s spiritual leader, went into exile in India in 1959 after the Chinese regime brutally crushed an uprising, killing tens of thousands of Tibetans. Later that year, the spiritual leader
established a Tibetan exile administration, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, stated on Feb. 24 that the suppression of nonviolent protests in Derge is “beyond condemnation.”
“The Chinese authorities’ disregard for the rights of Tibetans is unacceptable by any measure. The punitive acts demonstrate China’s prioritization of its ideology and interests over human rights,” Mr. Tsering said.
“We call on the Chinese government to release all those detained and to respect the rights and aspirations of the Tibetan people. The world needs to hear the Tibetans’ voices and confront the truth of Chinese misrule in Tibet.”
The construction of the dam, a 2,240-megawatt power station located in the upper regions of the Yangtze River, will result in the resettlement of about 2,000 locals,
according to Tibetan rights group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). One of the six monasteries affected, the Wonto Monastery, has murals that date back to the 13th century, it noted.
Earlier this month, U.S. House lawmakers approved the Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet–China Conflict Act (
H.R.533) on a
392–28 vote. The bipartisan, bicameral legislation (
S.138) hasn’t been voted on in the Senate.
The legislation aims to “jump-start negotiations” between CCP officials and the Dalai Lama or his representatives, according to a
statement by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as the two sides haven’t had formal dialogue since 2010.
ICT President Tencho Gyatso issued a
statement welcoming the passage of the House version earlier this month.
“Today’s vote shows that U.S. support for Tibet is only growing stronger even after 65 years of China’s control and occupation,” Mr. Gyatso said. “China has been playing a waiting game, hoping that the international community would eventually abandon Tibet. Clearly, that is not the case.
“The Chinese government should take the hint and restart the dialogue process with Tibetan leaders. We thank Congressman McGovern and Chairman McCaul and all the representatives who helped pass the Resolve Tibet Act today.”
