UN Expert Cites Tibet in a Report to UN General Assembly
Dharamsala, 15 October 2003: Mr. Abdelfattah Amor (Tunisia), the Special Rapporteur on the freedom of Religion or Belief of the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), in a report to the 58th session of the UN General Assembly, cites his intervention with the Chinese authorities about the situation of several Tibetan political prisoners in eastern Tibet. The report made available on the official website of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (www.unhchr.ch) also highlights the detention of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. The Third Committee of the UN General Assembly is expected to discuss the report next month when it deals with human rights questions including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms around the world.
Mr. Amor’s report (A/58/296) says: “Concerning the situation of Tibetans, the Special Rapporteur informed the Chinese Government of information about the arrest of five Tibetans, on 17 October 2002, in the city of Ganzi: Shamba; Tsangpo; Namgyal; Kayo Dogha; Tsering Dorjee; and Jampal.” According to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy based in Dharamsala, India, the above Tibetans were detained following their active participation at Long Life Prayer Ceremonies organised in Karze (Ch: Ganzi) region of eastern Tibet. In July this year, the Centre cited unconfirmed reports indicating that as many as 20 Tibetans may have detained in connection with the prayer ceremonies.
The Special Rapporteur also raised concern that “Tibetan officials from Lhasa were said to have been threatened with losing their pensions and/or employment if they visited the sacred site of Mount Kailash during the Buddhist holy month of Sagadawa.” The Tibetan Year of Water Sheep (2003-2004) was an auspicious time for Tibetans to engage in a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, one of the holiest mountains in Tibet.
In the report, the Special Rapporteur informs the UN General Assembly about the detention and the death sentence passed on Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and how his case was also raised in a report to the 59th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.
Finally, the UN human rights expert informs the General Assembly about a recent intervention with the Chinese authorities saying: “In a second communication of 12 June 2003, the Special Rapporteur transmitted information on the arrest of three monks, Tamding, Palzin and Shongdu, and a layman, Ngodup, of the Serthar Buddhist Institute on 27 May 2003. They were reportedly arrested in connection with their alleged involvement in an incident on 25 December 2002 related to the reconstruction of housing destroyed the previous year by the authorities, during which there were reports of casualties and destruction of police vehicles (see para. 21 of E/CN.4/2003/66).”
In November 1994, Mr. Amor became the first ever UN human rights expert to monitor the human rights situation, including that of religious freedom in Tibet. In the past few years a number of international NGOs have been urging the Chinese authorities to invite Mr. Amor for a follow-up visit. There are now reports that following separate human rights dialogue between the People’s Republic of China and the European Union and United States of America, the Chinese authorities have agreed to invite the Special Rapporteur on religion on an official visit. The Special Rapporteur does not refer to this issue in his report to the UN General Assembly.
The Special Rapporteur, however, “calls on all the States concerned to cooperate fully in the follow-up procedure, which is a natural extension of any visit and constitutes an essential means of cooperation that benefits both the States, non-governmental organisations and individuals concerned by his mandate and the United Nations human rights machinery as a whole.”