Human Rights Violations in Tibet Raised at 55th UN Human Rights Council Session
A Tibetan delegate urged the UN Human Rights Council to promptly address concerning reports of China’s human rights violations.
Phuntsok Topgyal, the UN Advocacy Officer at the Tibet Bureau in Geneva, delivered an oral statement on March 20, 2024, during the 55th UN Human Rights Council Session, highlighting critical human rights issues demanding attention. He expressed alarm over China’s systematic efforts to eradicate Tibetan cultural identity.
Topgyal emphasised the significance of the 65th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising, stressing the ongoing flagrant violations of Tibetan people’s rights over the past six decades. He urged immediate action from the council to halt these abuses. Topgyal outlined the dire situation in Tibet, citing concerns such as the enrolment of nearly 1 million Tibetan students in residential schools, China’s extensive surveillance measures including iris scans and DNA collection from Tibetans, and the unresolved disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedun Choekyi Nyima, who will reach 35 years of age this year.
Highlighting recent events, Topgyal noted that just four days before the 55th Human Rights Council session, Chinese authorities conducted mass arrests of Tibetans peacefully protesting the construction of a large dam in Derge. This dam project threatens to displace two villages, destroy Buddhist monasteries, and obliterate ancient murals.
Topgyal urged China to release all Tibetan protestors unconditionally and to halt the dam project, which poses a significant threat to the delicate ecosystem of the Tibetan Plateau. He called upon the UN Human Rights Council to demand that China refrain from arbitrary detention and violence against peaceful protestors, such as Gonpo Kyi, and instead uphold their right to freedom.
The video link to the oral statement is here. http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1a/k1a6tk9tw4






