Central Tibetan Administration Affirms Video of China’s Brutality in Tibet as “Authentic” Thursday, 26 March 2009, 6:33 p.m.

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Dharamshala: The Central Tibetan Administration on Thursday “affirmed the authenticity” of the footages of Chinese police beating of Tibetan protesters, the suffering and death of a captive in or near the Tibetan capital of Lhasa after 14 March 2008. The spokesman of the Central Tibetan Administration, Mr Thubten Samphel, said “We stand by the credibility and can guarantee the genuineness of the footages.” The footages testify to what is truly happening in Tibet as recently as 2008, he said. The part in the video showing beating of monks by police in front of Jokhang temple is taken from 1988 beating of the monks in Lhasa, the explanation of which is given in the video. The footages, acquired by the Central Tibetan Administration, was released on 20 March 2009. But as it began appearing on the video-sharing site “YouTube”, the access to the site has remain cut off in China since Monday. Google confirmed on Tuesday that its video-sharing Web site had been blocked in China. The footages featured a Tibetan called Tendar, a staff in the China Mobile company who was brutally beaten and later suffered inhumane treatment at the hands of Chinese authorities on 14 March 2008. He was fired at, burned with cigarettes butts, pierced with a nail in his right foot, and severely beaten with an electric baton. The wounds and the bruise marks visible on his body is a testimony of the brutality he was subjected to by the Chinese authorities. He died due to his injuries on 19 June 2008. When his corpse was offered to the vultures according to the tradition, a nail was found in his right foot. According to the information received by the Central Tibetan Administration, as of 31 January 2009, partly as a result of such beatings, about 220 Tibetans died and over 1,294 were seriously injured. Related reports:China’s Brutality in Tibet ExposedYouTube Censored in China, Google Confirms