Geneva: On 23 September, during the 15th day of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, Phuntsok Topgyal, the UN Advocacy Officer from the Tibet Bureau Geneva, testified to highlight the ongoing and severe human rights violations inside Tibet.

In his statement, the UN Advocacy Officer drew attention to several troubling cases, including the custodial death of Tulku Palden Wangyal, Head Lama of the Choegyal Monasteries; the continued arbitrary imprisonment of Dorjee Tashi and the state reprisals against his sister Gonmo Kyi; the suspicious death of Tulku Rigzin Hungkar Dorjee Rinpoche in Vietnam; the detention of Tibetan singers Tzukte (alias A-sang) and Palchung (or Pelkyong) for performing a cover song honouring the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama; and the arrest of senior monks from Yena Monastery who protested against a hydropower project. He stated that “these cases reflect a broader pattern of repression and violations of due process.”

The UN Advocacy Officer urged the Council, its commissions, and special rapporteurs to investigate these rampant human rights abuses in Tibet, and he also raised concerns about similar violations occurring in East Turkestan.

-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Geneva