Report Says China’s Rule in Tibet Has Grown More Repressive Under Xi Jinping
Beijing — China’s rule in Tibet has become increasingly repressive under President Xi Jinping, with authorities expanding surveillance, assimilation policies and legal restrictions aimed at Tibetan cultural and religious identity, according to a report published by the European Times.
The report said Chinese authorities have deployed DNA collection, facial recognition and artificial intelligence-based tracking systems across Tibet, creating what critics describe as a system of pervasive surveillance.
Khedroob Thondup, a nephew of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, wrote in the European Times that Tibetan children are being separated from their families and sent to boarding schools where Mandarin replaces Tibetan as the primary language of instruction and Communist Party ideology is emphasized.
He also said images of the Dalai Lama remain prohibited, monks have been arrested and monasteries have been closed or subjected to tighter state control.
According to Thondup, the policies reflect a broader effort by Beijing to weaken Tibet’s distinct cultural and religious identity.
“China’s rule in Tibet has always been heavy-handed, but under Xi Jinping it has become tyrannical in the purest sense,” Thondup wrote. He accused Xi’s government of using surveillance, assimilation and law as tools to undermine Tibetan culture.
The report also raised concerns about China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which took effect July 1. Critics say the legislation gives authorities broader legal authority to enforce assimilation policies and could also affect Tibetan communities outside China.
Ryan Fioresi, Executive Director of the International Campaign for Tibet, said last month that human rights conditions in Tibet were worsening and urged the United States and other governments to press Beijing to resume negotiations with the Dalai Lama or his representatives.
“The situation inside Tibet is quite grim,” Fioresi said, adding that human rights abuses by the Chinese government were escalating.
He said the new law codifies policies that critics view as an effort to weaken Tibetan identity.
“The Chinese government just implemented on July 1st the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law, which codifies many of Beijing’s forced assimilation policies into Chinese law,” Fioresi said.
He also argued that provisions of the law conflict with China’s constitution and its international human rights commitments.
The International Campaign for Tibet has called on governments, the United Nations and religious leaders to draw attention to the legislation and urge Beijing to change policies affecting Tibetan language, religion and culture. (Source: IANS)
