The Tibet News Bureau of Central Tibetan Administration interviewed Mr. Teng Biao, a renowned human rights lawyer and activist in China; co-founder of Beijing-based lawyers’ organization and think-tank, Open Constitution Initiative (Ch: 公盟) and a leader of pro-democracy manifesto Charter 08 (Ch:零八宪章). Mr. Teng Biao is also a visiting Scholar at the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at New York University and former lecturer at the University of Politics and Law in Beijing.
Following is a translation of the original interview in Chinese.
TNB: In June 2008, you along with other Chinese lawyers publicly expressed support and offered to defend the Tibetans who had been prosecuted in the 2008 Lhasa protest. Moreover, in May 2009, your organisation the ‘Open Constitution Initiative’ had published an investigative report on the social and economic causes of the 2008 Lhasa protest and also criticized the Chinese government. In light of your human rights activism over the years, how did you come to support the Tibetan issue in the first place and what inspired you to defend the Tibetan protesters of 2008. Can you also speak about the May 2009 report?
Teng Biao: As a human rights lawyer, I became actively involved with the Tibetan issues from the year 2003. A prominent Chinese writer Wang Lixiong discussed with me the case of a Tibetan political prisoner, Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. Since then, I started to study on the human rights violations in Tibet.
After the 2008 Tibetan unrest, also referred to as the “3-14 Riots” in Chinese media, we observed that a large number of Tibetans were arbitrarily detained. I also learned that they were subjected to unbearable torture and abuses in prison. So a few weeks later, I collaborated with other Chinese human rights lawyers to make a public appeal that we were willing to provide legal support to the Tibetans persecuted in Chinese prisons. Any individual who has been arrested has the right to consult and to be defended by a lawyer. The Tibetans who had been arrested were not given those rights. Moreover, they were subjected to extreme torture and abuse in prison. This kind of unbearable tortures is common in Chinese prisons. We hoped to be able to provide a legal defence to them. The second half of 2008, the Open Constitution Initiative had formed a small research group, composed of students and scholars who went to Tibet to conduct a survey regarding the situation inside Tibet. In 2009, the team published an investigative report into the social and economic causes of the “3-14 Riots” in Tibetan areas.
The Chinese Communist Party’s current policy towards Tibet is extremely brutal and a complete failure. As a human rights lawyer and a humanitarian, it is my moral responsibility to speak up for the Tibet issue.
TNB: The world marked the 30th anniversary of the “June Fourth 1989” on 4 June this year. It has also been more than 30 years since the Lhasa protests against the Chinese brutal occupation. The protests spanned from September 1987, October 1987 and March 1988. Can you share your point of view on the subject and the connections between the “June fourth incident” and the Lhasa protests and impact of these movements?
Teng Biao: In my recent address at Dharamshala, I have clearly stated that the Tiananmen Square protest did not start from Tiananmen Square, it started from Lhasa in Tibet. Some of the Chinese democrats, scholars and writers had slight knowledge about the Lhasa unrest. For decades, the Chinese government had censored all dissenting ideas, facts and information and as a result, the mainland Chinese people had no idea that the Lhasa protest in 1989 took place before the June fourth incident. The June Fourth incident and democratic movement in 1989 had both common motives as well as differences. For instance, looking at their demands, they are related to basic human rights and freedom. In the Tiananmen Square protest students also raised the issue of anti-corruption and freedom of the press. Lhasa protesters demanded more basic language rights and basic human rights. However, these demands did not receive any significant response from the authorities. Moreover, it resulted in the killing of thousands of Tibetans in Lhasa.
The Tiananmen Square protest was a huge demonstration of Chinese people as a nationwide democratic movement. Tens of thousands of students came out in the streets and protested. The Tiananmen Square protest saw more number of protesters than the Lhasa protest. In terms of result, the Tiananmen Square protest gave a positive impact on China’s political system. It also impacted the rest of the world to some extent. However due to the state-led censorship in mainland China, many Chinese especially the younger generation today have no idea about the “June Fourth incident”. For us, it is very important to spread out the truth of the Tiananmen massacre and democratic movement and let people know that tens of thousands of people who had protested and were brutally massacred. It has been 30 years since the incident but the struggle is still so fresh in our memories.
TNB: Since 2001, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s Special Envoy and the representatives of the Chinese government have had nine formal dialogue and one informal meeting.
During the last informal dialogue in 2010, the special envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama had interpreted the proposal (Note on the Memorandum on Genuine Autonomy for the Tibetan People) to the Chinese representatives. In the proposal, the Tibetan representatives had interpreted the Middle Way Policy in brief and stated that they seek genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese Constitution and the Law of national regional autonomy without seeking complete independence. However, the Chinese representatives rejected the proposal with a response that the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan administration in exile’s advocacy for Middle Way Policy is a disguise for independence.
Please tell us what is the recent views of the Chinese officials and the common citizens on that proposal submitted by the Tibetan representatives? Are the Chinese people aware of the series of dialogue and further, do they support the Middle Way Policy?
Teng Biao: Firstly, the Chinese Communist Party is treating Tibet issue as a very sensitive political issue. To get information about Tibet from the public is impossible because of the restrictions on access to information. The Chinese government oppresses the Tibetan people and opposes the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Policy. The Chinese government officials are not clear about these matters and the common Chinese people have no information whatsoever. Particularly regarding the Tibet Issue, the Chinese people are brainwashed through the government’s propaganda. They have been brainwashed to promote the concept of ‘Chinese Unification’ or ‘One-China’. I myself have been a victim of such propaganda. When we were young, we were taught that Tibet is part of China since ancient times and the Dalai Lama is a separatist.
Likewise, millions of Chinese people are brainwashed through systematic propaganda. Their understanding of Tibetan history and situation in Tibet is biased and not factual. That’s why Chinese people oppose the independence of Tibet and believe that Tibet has been a part of China since ancient times. I think this situation is of great concern. Even some sections of Overseas Chinese have the same point of views.
But those Chinese who are pro-democracy support the Middle Way Policy as authentic and a realistic approach. I too support the policy and I think we should continue it. Basically Tibetan people have the right to seek and demand independence. Therefore, I think seeking independence is the right and freedom of Tibetans.
TNB: Finally, do you have anything more to add and to share with the Tibetans through this program.
Teng Biao: There are two key facts that we should know. The first fact is that the Chinese government is not legitimate. Its past record clearly shows that it manipulated various agreements and negotiations and failed to take its agreements seriously. They have failed to comply by the human rights treaties that they signed with Tibet or Hong Kong concerning “One country, Two systems”. Therefore, I think Tibetans and the whole world should realize that the Chinese Communist Party does not represent Chinese people’s interests and rights.
We need more engagement with the Chinese people and more dialogue with the Chinese democrats. This is a more rational step towards resolving the Tibetan issue in the future.
The second fact is that the oppression of Tibet by the CCP and the cultural genocide of Tibetans is basically a massacre committed by the Chinese government. The violation of basic human rights of Tibetan people already begun when China first invaded Tibet. For instance, more than two million people of Uyghurs being held in concentration camps also resonates the cruelty of China’s oppressive system. Looking at such cases I think China will not only be holding the Xinjiang area, but it will also expand to other territories. This is the world’s most serious human rights violation and China is the most serious violator of rights in the world. Therefore, I hope that through the Central Tibetan Administration, we can convey this information to the world. It is necessary to take serious action and we need to appeal to the international community to put a stop to China’s massacre in Tibet.
Watch the full interview here.