Tibetan Community Protests in Geneva as 58th UNHRC Session Opens, Highlighting Human Rights Violations in Tibet
On 24 February 2025: The Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein (TCSL) staged a protest in front of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on the opening day of the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The demonstration condemned the worsening human rights situation in Tibet under Chinese rule.
UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk, in his opening address, underscored the critical need to uphold human rights and the rule of law to prevent the recurrence of past atrocities. He warned that unchecked violations—such as the use of unrestrained force, attacks on civilians, and widespread abuses—could reoccur. However, he emphasised that international mechanisms, including the UN Charter, international law, the UNHRC, civil society, and judicial institutions, serve as essential safeguards against such abuses. Türk also reaffirmed his Office’s commitment to monitoring and reporting on global human rights violations, with further details to be presented in his forthcoming Global Update.
Phuntsok Topgyal, UN Advocacy Officer at the Tibet Bureau Geneva, addressed the protesters, stressing the severity of the human rights crisis in Tibet. He noted that the 58th UNHRC session, which began on 24 February, will continue until 4 April 2025. Topgyal acknowledged Switzerland’s role in human rights advocacy and congratulated Swiss Ambassador Jürg Lauber on his election as President of the UN human rights council on 1 January 2025. Additionally, he welcomed the Swiss Federal Council’s approval of a report on the situation of Tibetans in Switzerland and the transnational repression they face, a decision finalised on 12 February 2025.
“Today, we unite not only as Tibetans but also with our Chinese Christian brothers and sisters to stand in solidarity against the ongoing oppression under the Chinese regime,” Topgyal stated.
He criticised China’s recent statements at the 61st Munich Security Conference regarding equality and a multipolar world, arguing that domestic policies in China contradict these claims. He highlighted severe repression in Tibet, referencing the documentary Inside China: The Battle for Tibet, which exposes extensive surveillance, cultural erasure, and forced assimilation. Reports indicate that Tibetan children are being placed in state-run boarding schools where Mandarin is the sole language of instruction, posing a grave threat to the survival of Tibetan language and heritage. Monasteries, once centres of Tibetan spiritual and cultural life, are now under strict state control, and peaceful protests continue to be met with severe crackdowns.
The protest also drew attention to religious persecution in China, particularly against Christians. “Our Christian compatriots in China face similar oppression,” Topgyal said, citing the Chinese government’s crackdown on religious freedoms, including unlawful detentions and forced disappearances of human rights defenders. UN human rights experts have previously raised concerns over ongoing abuses in Tibet and East Turkestan.
Topgyal called on the international community, particularly the European Union, to take a firm stand against these injustices. “China projects a favourable image abroad, but its domestic policies are driven by self-interest and control. If China truly seeks global leadership and equality, it must first grant fundamental rights to its own people, including Tibetans and Christians,” he asserted.
More than 80 people participated in the demonstration, including over 40 Chinese Christians, French-speaking supporters of Tibet, members of Tibetan support groups, the Vice President and executive members of TCSL, the Co-President of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe (TYAE), and staff from the Tibet Bureau Geneva.
Ahead of the 58th UNHRC session, the Tibet Bureau in Geneva has actively lobbied UN member states, submitted a written statement, and plans to deliver oral statements highlighting China’s human rights violations in Tibet. The session will address key global issues, including the protection of human rights defenders, religious freedom, counter-terrorism policies, and rights to food and housing.
