(TibetanReview.net, Sep21, 2014) – The situation in Tibet under Chinese rule was reported to have been referred on Sep 19 by several Western countries during the ongoing, 27th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. China accused delegates from these countries, notably the EU, the UK, the Czech Republic and the US, of ignoring China’s achievements.
The US Ambassador accused China of having tightened control on expression of religious freedom and of continuing repressive policies on Tibet and Uighur areas. It also accused China of having restricted the freedom of movement of released prisoners of conscience, particularly mentioning the names of rights lawyer Gao Zhisheng and Tibetan amateur filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen.
The UK’s delegate expressed concern over reports of violence in ethnic minority areas of China and excessive use of force by the security authorities. “We urge china to engaged meaningful dialogue with minority communities in Tibet and Xinjiang,” the delegate was quoted as saying.
Tibet campaign and monitoring groups such as the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, Dharamshala, and the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), Washington, DC, also addressed the council. ICT issued a joint statement with the Helsinki Foundation, asking the UN Human Rights Council to look into 41 cases of enforced disappearances in Tibet that it said it had documented between Apr 2010 to Feb 2014.