Kalden Tsomo, UN Advocacy Officer at the Tibet Bureau Geneva. Image: Screengrab
Geneva: In the ongoing 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a Tibetan representative called on the UN Human Rights Council to bring China into account to end all its repressive policies in Tibet.
Speaking on behalf of the Society for Threatened Peoples, Kalden Tsomo, UN Advocacy Officer at the Tibet Bureau Geneva, expressed concerns over deteriorating human rights situations in Tibet, in particular, “a double lockdown” repressive situation since the outbreak of Wuhan originated COVID-19. She called upon the UN Human Rights Council to urge China to cease all its repressive policies against the Tibetan people. Furthermore, she urged China to give unfettered access to UN experts to assess the situation of people suppressed by the government of China.
While giving an overview of the “lockdown” situation of Tibetan people under China in the past sixty years, Kalden Tsomo said photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama are banned, Tibetan human rights defenders are criminalized and environmentalists are politicized. Furthermore, the Tibetan language has been replaced by Mandarin and the self-reliant nomadic way of life is destroyed in the name of poverty alleviation. For these reasons, since 2009, over 155 Tibetans in Tibet have resorted to self-immolation protests, calling for freedom and the return of the Dalai Lama.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ anticipated visit to China is incomplete without having unfettered access to Tibet, added Kalden Tsomo. The entire session can be viewed here.