(TibetanReview.net, Dec12’24) –On the international Human Rights Day of Dec 10, the European Union (EU) has issued a statement, which among numerous other things, expressed serious concern on the human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule.
The situation in Tibet remains dire, with reports of escalating repression since 2013, the ANI news agency Dec 11 cited the statement as saying.
The EU expressed alarm over the severe restrictions on freedom of expression, movement, and assembly in Tibetan areas. Authorities have imposed tight controls on passports, restricted the movement of Tibetan Lamas, and forced the alignment of Tibetan Buddhist practices with the ideology of the Chinese Communist Party, the statement was cited as saying.
The statement was also stated to have described China’s setting up of compulsory boarding schools for Tibetan children with an agenda to assimilate them and the closure of Tibetan language schools as alarming developments.
With regard to the situation across the People’s Republic of China, the statement has expressing deep concerns over ongoing human rights violations, particularly about civil, cultural, economic, social, and political rights. It has urged China to uphold the fundamental rights of all individuals, including ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities.
Apart from specifically referring to the situation in Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia as well, the statement has condemned the harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention of individuals who speak out against the government. it has called for the immediate release of numerous individuals, including dissidents, lawyers, journalists, and activists, who have been wrongfully detained or sentenced, including Gulshan Abbas, Ilham Tohti, and Gui Minhai.
And it has emphasized the need for Chinese journalists and media workers to be able to operate freely, without fear of harassment, arrest, or prosecution.