(TibetanReview.net, Oct02’24) – As China marked the 75th anniversary of the founding of its Communist Party state on Oct 1 in a distinctly low-keyed manner, beset by a host of economic, social stability, and other challenges, Tibetans living in exile, supporters and other victims of its persecution rallied to register their protests.
In India’s capital New Delhi, Tibetans held a demonstration and chanted slogans outside Chinese embassy in Chanakyapuri. Thirty protesters were subsequently detained by police, taken to Mandir Marg police station, and later released, reported the timesofindia.com Oct 1.
The protesters, numbering 50, had arrived in the national capital after completing a cycle rally from Dehradun, covering a distance of over 400 km, with the aim to draw attention to the ongoing human rights abuses and the suppression of Tibetan culture under China’s Communist party. The multi-day rally sought to raise awareness about the situation in Tibet and called for international solidarity against China’s oppressive measures, reported indiatoday.in Oct 1.
“We are here to peacefully protest the CCP’s brutal occupation of Tibet. The world must acknowledge the suffering of the Tibetan people and oppose this injustice,” the report quoted a Tibetan Youth Congress representative as saying before the detention.
The demonstrators vocalized their demands with slogans such as, “Make China accountable for committing atrocities in Tibet,” “Free Tibet,” and “Stop genocide in Tibet,” reported the devdiscourse.com Oct 1.
At the Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station in Delhi, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) organized a photo action and awareness campaign.
SFT, a New York-headquartered group with grassroot chapters in various countries, was also a part of over 50 international human rights NGOs that came together to condemn transnational repression “in a powerful joint statement” on China’s 75th National Day.
Those that signed the Joint Statement Against Transnational Repression ranged from groups such as Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and Amnesty International to local chapters of exile Tibetan groups. They came together “to show that the CCP’s transnational repression is in the spotlight, and we will fight back against it at every turn,” said the statement Oct 1.
“We stand together with dissidents against the long arm of authoritarian governments around the world. As organizations committed to protecting civil liberties, we, the undersigned, pledge to remain vigilant through education and advocacy to combat the growing threat of transnational repression,” the statement said.
The signatories vowed to “continue to collaborate with affected communities to raise public awareness of the tactics employed by governments that extend their reach abroad.”
The statement’s direct reference to China specifically said: “One disturbing example (of transnational repression) occurred on the streets of San Francisco in November 2023, when Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uyghur, and mainland Chinese protesters gathered to oppose the Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the APEC Summit. As documented by a recent report jointly published by the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet — followed by a Washington Post investigation — harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and physical violence were orchestrated by groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Even consular personnel were seen on the ground. We urge the U.S. State Department to consider elevating this as a diplomatic incident and the Justice Department to consider bringing federal charges against those who were responsible. Congress should likewise consider passing relevant new legislation to deter future episodes.”
Elsewhere, 650 to 700 members of the exiled Uyghur community in Turkey staged a protest outside the Chinese Consulate in the Seriyer district of Istanbul, reported the ANI news service Oct 1.
Led by Hidayet Oguzhan, President of the International Union of East Turkestan Organizations, the protest drew support from several NGOs advocating for Uyghur rights, the report said.