Human Rights Situation in Tibet Annual Report 2016 Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 5 FREEDOM OF OPINION AND EXPRESSION ....................................................................... 7 I. Legal Standards ...................................................................................................... 7 A. The Johannesburg Principles.............................................................................. 8 B. Chinese Law ...................................................................................................... 9 II. Mass Surveillance Program ................................................................................... 11 III. Directive Criminalizes Freedom of Expression ..................................................... 12 IV. Crackdown on Self-immolation Continues .......................................................... 13 V. Detention of Peaceful Protesters ........................................................................... 15 VI. Silencing the Bloggers .......................................................................................... 17 VII. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 20 RIGHT TO PRIVACY ................................................................................................................ 21 I. Legal Standards .................................................................................................... 21 II. Right to Privacy in Tibet ...................................................................................... 23 III. Monitoring WeChat ............................................................................................ 25 IV. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 28 FREEDOM OF RELIGION ...................................................................................................... 29 I. Legal Standards .................................................................................................... 31 II. Cultivating Patriotic ‘Living Buddhas’ .................................................................. 33 III. Anti-Dalai Lama Campaign ................................................................................. 36 IV. Intensification of Patriotic Education Campaign .................................................. 39 V. Demolition of Larung Gar .................................................................................. 41 VI. Detention and Prosecution of Monastics .............................................................. 43 VII. Conclusion........................................................................................................... 47 OTHER CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS ............................................................................ 48 I. Legal Standards .................................................................................................... 48 A. Unjust Criminal Justice System ....................................................................... 49 II. Freedom from Arbitrary Detention ...................................................................... 51 III. Freedom from Torture .......................................................................................... 53 IV. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly .............................................................................. 59 A. Dzoege County: Land Right Petitioners given suspended jail terms ................. 60 B. Machu County: Protesters Beaten, Detained, and Robbed .............................. 61 C. Chabcha County: Protesters against Proposed Demolition of Small Businesses Beaten and Detained. ..................................................................................... 61 D. Anti-mine Protesters Beaten, hospitalized and Detained .................................. 62 HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN TIBET: annual report 2016 V. Freedom of Movement ......................................................................................... 64 A. Discriminatory Travel Restrictions ................................................................... 64 B. Restriction on Movement Within Tibet ........................................................... 66 VI. Conclusion........................................................................................................... 68 ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................................................... 69 I. Hydro-dams and Water Grab ............................................................................... 71 II. Mining ................................................................................................................. 75 III. Tourism and Infrastructure .................................................................................. 77 IV. Depopulating Grasslands ..................................................................................... 79 V. Development and Environment ........................................................................... 80 VI. Tibetan Spiritscapes are Sacred Natural Sites ........................................................ 83 TIBETAN POLITICAL PRISONERS DATABASE .................................................................... 86 I. New Searchable, Exportable Database ................................................................. 86 II. Limitation ........................................................................................................... 88 III. Methodology ....................................................................................................... 88 IV. Self-immolation .................................................................................................. 89 V. Consequences of Detention ................................................................................ 90 VI. Legal Representation ........................................................................................... 91 VII. Use of Endemic Practice ...................................................................................... 93 VIII. Former Political Prisoners .................................................................................... 93 IX. Types of Violations .............................................................................................. 94 4 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2016, the party-state of the People’s Republic of situation in the name of ‘religious human rights’.” China (PRC) continued its egregious human rights To further use law as a sword to curtail religious violations and abuses in Tibet by criminalizing freedom, a revised draft of the 2005 Regulations basic human rights and fundamental freedoms, on Religious Affairs was released and will be and engaging in arbitrary detention, torture, implemented in 2017. The PRC intensified enforced disappearance, collective punishment measures to control and exploit the system of and environmental destruction to name a few. reincarnation, and discredit and de legitimize the New and existing repressive laws and regulations person and position of the Tibetan spiritual leader enabled the widespread and systematic violations and Nobel laureate His Holiness the Dalai Lama. of fundamental human rights of Tibetans. Despite Tibetans were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and the extremely deplorable situation in Tibet, the imprisoned for holding peaceful protests calling party-state made no effort to change its policy of for the Dalai Lama’s long life and swift return to repression, authoritarianism and state-sponsored Tibet. Others were handed draconian sentences violence. for celebrating the birthday of the Dalai Lama. Tibetan Buddhist devotees were given threats 2016 witnessed the introduction of draconian of criminal punishment if they attended the laws in the name of fighting terrorism, securing Kalachakra religious teachings given by the Dalai the internet, and protecting state security to Lama. further violate freedom of opinion and expression of Tibetans. Chinese authorities systematically Thousands were recalled home and many more exploited vague and over-broad legal definitions were stopped from going on pilgrimages or attend in the state security legal framework to carry out the Dalai Lama’s teachings. The right to freedom abusive, political prosecutions against peaceful of movement including the right to obtain expression of dissent and criticism or sharing passports was routinely violated. The PRC treated information about events in Tibet with the world the right to travel including the right to obtain a community. Local government directives spelt passport of Tibetans as a privilege granted by the out criminal penalties for peaceful expressions of government rather than a fundamental human Tibetan nationalism and religious beliefs such as right. The plethora of new and existing restrictions raising the banned Tibetan national flag or pictures on passports and travel including restrictions on of the Dalai Lama, and shouting slogans for movement within Tibet has turned Tibet into a freedom and human rights. The implementation giant open prison. of mass surveillance programs is forcing Tibetans to resort to unprecedented levels of self-censorship For the greater part of 2016, the PRC conducted in and out of Tibet. a large-scale