Washington: Top American lawmakers, across the aisle, joined by eminent experts on Thursday slammed China for the “continued repression and human rights violations” in Tibet, even as they praised India for accommodating Tibetan refugees.
“Tibetans inside Tibet continue to live in very, very challenging times indeed,” top Hollywood star Richard Gere, chair of the International Campaign for Tibet, said.
Congressman Ted Yoho, who chaired the hearing, supported the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2017 which proposes to deny US visas to Chinese government officials involved in restricting access to Tibet.
Alleging that human rights and personal freedoms in Tibet were “already in a poor and worsening state”, Mr Yoho said the government of China engages in “severe repression” of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural and linguistic heritage by and “strictly curtailing” the civil rights of the Tibetan population, including the freedom of speech, religion, association, assembly and movement.
The authorities have used “heavy-handed and violent tactics” to maintain control in Tibet, especially in response to unrest, including “extra-judicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, extra-judicial detentions and house arrest”, he said, he said.
“Tibet remains extremely isolated. The flow of information in and out of Tibet is tightly restricted. Tibetans are prevented from obtaining passports and moving freely, and foreigners, especially jurnalists and officials are frequently denied access,” he said.
Congressman Brad Sherman demanded that Congress must act quickly to counter China’s “repressive tactics and policies” toward Tibet.
“This is important for our own standing as leaders in world human rights,” he said, as he praised India for accommodating Tibetan refugees.
“We’re trying to build a strategic relationship and partnership with India, and we’ve got to commend India for providing refuge to over 90,000 Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama himself, who have had to flee Chinese repression,” he said.
