Geneva – The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) echoes criticism by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, regarding the human rights situation in Tibet. In his Global Update before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, Türk expressed that he is “concerned about the impact of education policy and the restriction of freedom of expression and religion in the Tibet Autonomous Region.” Türk said he will continue to raise these issues in his ongoing discussions with the Chinese government. The High Commissioner’s Global Update, addresses global human rights situations, and in his approximately 20-minute statement, Türk lamented the devastating impact of war and violent conflicts worldwide.
ICT released the following statement on the Global update. “We welcome the explicit reference to Tibet in the UN High Commissioner’s statement. This is especially important because his predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, didn’t reference the deeply troubling situation in Tibet forcefully. The international community, the United Nations, and nation-states must once again focus more on the situation in Tibet. This is about peaceful conflict resolution and the survival of a civilization. Despite occupation, violence, and persecution, Tibetans and the Dalai Lama, who turns 90 this year, continue to advocate for dialogue and mutual respect. The international community must support this. We also hope that the UN High Commissioner will now increase his efforts in this regard.”
The “Middle Way” policy developed by the 14th Dalai Lama seeks genuine autonomy for Tibet within the People’s Republic of China, based on the internationally recognized right to self-determination of peoples, instead of full independence. With this proposal, the Dalai Lama aims to promote dialogue with the Chinese leadership to negotiate a solution to the Tibet conflict within the framework of peaceful coexistence between Chinese and Tibetans. The conflict is not limited to the so-called “Tibet Autonomous Region,” but also includes Tibetan areas in the provinces of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan.