(TibetanReview.net, Mar24’26) – For the third successive year, Tibet under Chinese occupation rule has scored zero for freedom in a watchdog’s latest annual global survey released on Mar 19.
The Freedom in the World 2026 report, released by Freedom House, has said Tibet remained “not free” after tallying its scores for “political rights” and “civil liberties” under Chinese rule.
The report’s profile on Tibet, which is based on conditions and data from 2025, shows Tibet’s political rights score to be –2 out of a possible 40 and its civil liberties score to be 2 out of a possible 60, making for an overall score of 0 out of 100.
Tibet’s score of 0 ties with South Sudan for the second lowest on the list of 208 areas examined. Even the DPRK, with a score of 3 out of 100, ranks higher on Freedom House’s index.
Tibet’s score reflects the codification of China’s “Ethnic Unity and Progress Law,” which remained under consideration as of Dec 2025 and was enacted on Mar 12, said Washington-based Tibet advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet (savetibet.org) Mar 23.
The group also said a key factor in Freedom House’s negative score for political rights in Tibet was the CCP’s attempts to control Tibetan Buddhism and dictate its practice.
The report also analyses China’s claim to exclusive authority over the Dalai Lama’s succession, which violates universal principles of religious freedom and has been met with opposition from the UN, the United States and the European Union.