[London] The seven-year prison sentence against Tibetan nomad and environment activist A-Nya Sengdra for “gathering people to disturb public order” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” highlights the Chinese authorities’ unyielding assault on the rights of the Tibetan people to defend their cultural rights. A-Nya Sengdra was found guilty on 6 December 2019 by a court in Golog Prefecture, Amdo eastern Tibet [1]. He and his lawyer plan to appeal this sentence.

Tibetans and Tibet Groups have expressed their dismay at the news of the sentence, which comes after 14 months of detention. Arrested on 4 September 2018 by security forces in Gade County, A-Nya was beaten and held without access to a lawyer for the first 48 days of his detention. His detention period was extended several times since 2018 and a request by his lawyer for bail was rejected. His wife and other family members were not permitted to see A-Nya Sengdra in detention.

“A-Nya has become the latest victim of China’s systematic plan to silence and imprison Tibetans.” said Dorjee Tseten from Students for a Free Tibet. “The trumped up charges against him are farcical and reflect China’s lack of rule of law and respect for basic human rights. Tibetans and supporters around the world will continue to press for A-Nya’s release.”

In the weeks following A-Nya Sengdra’s arrest, nine other Tibetans from Golog County were also arrested [2]. Eight of them also stood trial today and were also sentenced to prison.

A-Nya’s brother Jimtri, who was arrested on 16 December 2018, was due to stand trial today after spending almost a year in detention. However, news has emerged that Jimtri died after being taken from his detention center to hospital in Xining, Qinghai Province. The full circumstances of Jimtri’s death are not yet known.

“A-Nya’s repulsive treatment following his arrest is indicative of how the Chinese Communist Party treats Tibetans who speak out,” said John Jones from Free Tibet. “His peaceful work to protect the environment and challenge corruption highlighted problems that the authorities should have taken seriously. But rather than listening, the CCP decided that A-Nya must be locked away in silence. Only the release of A-Nya and the other eight convicted today, and an investigation into Jimtri’s death, can begin to repair this shameful behaviour.”

The trial began yesterday (Thursday 5 December) morning but only concluded today. In a tweet after the trial, A-Nya Sengdra’s lawyer, Lin Qilei, stated that his client refused to accept the verdict and that he would appeal. The same tweet by Lin Qilei showed that A-Nya’s son was present for the trial. It is currently not know whether other family members or observers were able to attend.

A-Nya Sengdra is widely respected among his community for his campaigning against illegal mining activities, government corruption, and the illegal hunting and poaching of endangered animals. In 2014 he, and other local Tibetan nomads, founded a voluntary organisation called ‘Mang Dhon Ling’ (Public Affairs Forum) to fight against corruption and abuses of power by local Chinese officials.

“Not only were A-Nya’s activities before his arrest not a criminal offence – they were essential actions in these times of acute environment crisis,” said Lobsang Yangtso from International Tibet Network. “Activists around the world are working to protect the environment and ensure that they land that they live on will be fit for future generations. Living under China’s occupation has meant A-Nya’s environmental protection work has lead to him being classed as a criminal rather than an environment justice hero.”

A-Nya Sengdra’s arrest and conviction fits a wider pattern of harassment of Tibetan activists and environmental defenders, which has seen hundreds of arrests. Starting in February 2018, provincial and regional authorities across Tibet have overseen a crackdown against what the CCP calls “underworld forces” and “criminal gangs”. Public notifications, appealing for help from the public, have made it clear that the definition of criminal gangs includes Tibetans who organise protests to protect the environment, critics of local or national government authorities and Tibetans trying to preserve Tibet’s language and customs.

Information from official sources and information that has been smuggled out Tibet suggests that at least 400 Tibetans have been arrested as part of this crackdown, with 385 people in the Tibet Autonomous Region alone being tried and found guilty of so-called “gang-related crimes” between January and December 2018.

“The Chinese government has a dangerous habit of manipulating their own laws in order to criminalise Tibetans in Tibet,” said Padma Dolma, Tibet Justice Center. “Since 2018, Chinese authorities have been issuing regulations that can get Tibetans arrested en masse and under false charges. Nomad and community leader A-Nya Sengdra is the victim of a crackdown that has seen over 400 Tibetans convicted last year, despite no evidence being presented that they committed a crime; further evidence that being a Tibetan in the People’s Republic of China today is to be a threat to state security.”

– ends –

Dharamshala: A young Tibetan nomad from the nearby nomadic township of Meruma in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) county in Tibet’s traditional province of Amdo died on Tuesday after setting himself on fire to protest Chinese rule of Tibet and its hardline policies against the Tibetans.

Yonten, aged around 24, set himself ablaze in the center of town nearby Meruma at around 4 pm local time on 26 November 2019. He is identified as son of Sodhon (father) and Tsekho Kyi (mother), residents of Meruma’s Unit 2.

According to a reliable source, Yonten became a monk and joined Ngaba Kirti Monastery at a young age but he later disrobed for reasons unidentified. In recent years, several reports were received of Chinese authorities in Tibet forcing young Tibetan monks out of their monasteries, at times ordering them to join Communist schools. After leaving his monastery, Yonten then led a life of a nomad in the area.

Ngaba is a heavily-monitored Tibetan region with intense surveillance measures implemented regularly where police can reach a protest site within a few steps or minutes, stated our source. Currently, details on whether Yonten’s body was returned to his parents and the extent of restrictions following the self-immolation protest in the area is not known at the moment due to clampdown on communication over the phone and internet.

Over the years, the Chinese government has implemented a total crackdown on Tibetan self-immolation protests, labelling the protests as an “act of terrorism” and criminalizing family members of the self-immolators who were reprimanded with arrests and heavy sentences. Yonten’s self-immolation protest is the first one recorded this year.

-Filed by UN, EU & Human Rights Desk/ Information courtesy of Kanyag Tsering and Lobsang Yeshi 

A Joint Statement Regarding Columbia University’s Cancellation of a Panel Discussion

We’re scholars and activists from Hong Kong, China, Tibet and East Turkestan, members of a panel discussion that was to be held at Columbia University on November 14. Unfortunately, a few hours before the event was due to start, Columbia University authorities told organizers to cancel the event, citing concerns for security, because a Chinese student group threatened to stage a protest outside the venue on campus. The cancellation is a perfect example of the event title: “Panopticism with Chinese Characteristics: the human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and how they affect the world.”

We were shocked that our event became the latest casualty of a worrying trend in which organized groups of pro-Beijing Chinese students in American universities vandalize posters, threaten, intimidate and harass students, staff and even guest speakers on and off campus—whoever they do not like or do not agree with, including Chinese students.

Similar incidents of blatant vandalism, hate speech and physical assaults from pro- Beijing Chinese students are widespread on university campuses throughout the United States, including Syracuse University, the University of Rochester, the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, Carnegie Mellon University and the University of California San Diego. And such a phenomenon has proliferated to university campuses worldwide over the last few years, including Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Britain and other European countries.

Events held in support of the current pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have also seen obstructions from pro-Beijing protesters. Students from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang) on American campuses increasingly experience harassment and even receive death threats from pro-Beijing Chinese students.

We’re extremely concerned that American universities, safe havens that welcome all from around the world, beacons of freedom, independence and truth, have become battle fields and fallen victim to the dictatorship that is the Chinese government. The clashes in universities have been instigated mainly by two organizations, the Confucius Institute, an arm of China’s Education Ministry, and the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, which has chapters on nearly every American university campus and is financed and sponsored by the Chinese Embassy and consulates. The CSSA monitors students (especially those from China) and reports to the Chinese consulates.

It is shocking that the Chinese Communist Party, which is responsible for decade-long genocide of millions of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongols and Chinese people, has been allowed to wield its power over American educational institutions where academic freedoms and freedom of speech are protected and promoted. As dissidents persecuted by Beijing, we’re dismayed that we now have to defend our freedoms in our country—the United States of America.

It is important for every student in American universities to learn the truth of what’s happening in Hong Kong, China, East Turkestan (Xinjiang), Tibet, and Southern Mongolia, which are under Beijing’s rule. But the Chinese government’s long arm has repeatedly prevented such discussions from happening. This is an insult to academic freedom, free speech and the whole educational sector in this country.

We’re deeply disturbed to witness this unfortunate incident at a prestigious university like Columbia University. It’s a sign of how deeply the Chinese government has infiltrated our academic institutions and exert influence. We believe students have the right to an education free from the Chinese government’s influence and an environment free from China’s censorship efforts. It is time for leaders of the US government and members of Congress to take action to protect democratic values, free expression, and academic freedom.

We call on American universities to conduct investigations and shut down the Chinese Students and Scholars Association and Confucius Institutes. We urge the Congress to host hearings and conduct investigations on the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration, intimidation and encroachment of academic freedom and freedom of speech in American universities and schools.

Call on NBA to Resist China’s Influence and Stand Up for Human Rights and Freedom

NEW YORK — Tibetan rights activists protested alongside Hong Kong democracy activists at the Brooklyn Nets vs Toronto Raptors game today at the Barclay Center in New York City to draw attention to the issue of China’s occupation of Tibet and to send a message to the NBA, along with Nets’ owner, Joseph Tsai, and LA Lakers’ player LeBron James, that Houston Rockets’ Manager, Daryl Morey, was right to express his solidarity with democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The activists held signs and chanted slogans expressing opposition to Beijing’s attempt to use its economic might to silence voices of support for people struggling for freedom from Chinese rule, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, who are both facing severe repression under Chinese occupation. 

The protesters wore shirts reading “Free Tibet” in English, Tibetan and Chinese and held a banner reading: “Tsai & LeBron: Morey was right, NBA: Stand for freedom”. They also held Tibetan national flags and signs reading “Don’t let China buy our silence, people are dying to be free”. They chanted slogans until security asked them to leave the Barclay Center, including calling for freedom in Tibet, Hong Kong and East Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang). 

“It is crucial people of conscience around the world speak up for Hong Kongers who are battling for their freedom right now, and also for the people of Tibet, East Turkestan (Xinjiang) and China itself, where Chinese authorities are carrying out an unprecedented human rights crackdown” said Tenzin Dorjee, Senior Researcher and Strategist at Tibet Action Institute. “Daryl Morey was right to speak out, and while we applaud the NBA for ultimately supporting his right to free speech, we are deeply disturbed that LeBron James and Joseph Tsai have chosen to prioritize profits over people’s rights,” Dorjee continued. 

“Joseph Tsai and LeBron James are on the wrong side of history on this issue” said Sonamtso, Campaigns and Communications Director at Students for a Free Tibet. “The NBA, as well as corporations and people everywhere, should resist the oppressive influence of the Chinese government and stand with Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hong Kongers, and also citizens of China who are putting their lives on the line to fight for the very same freedoms we enjoy here in the U.S.,” Sonamtso continued. “The unprecedented campaign of repression being carried out by the Chinese government in all areas under its control right now – including an attempt to wipe out the distinct Tibetan and Uyghur identities, and locking up and torturing more than one million Uyghurs in concentration camps – is well documented and must be opposed at all costs,” Sonamtso added. 

Activists plan to continue protests at NBA games across the U.S. and Canada.

Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese rights activists join with global corporate watchdog at iconic NYC store to protest Apple’s support of China’s repressive free speech policies.

NEW YORK –– Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese, Hong Kong, and Taiwanese rights activists, along with global corporate watchdog SumOfUs, protested at Apple’s Grand Central Station store today to press Apple to stop collaborating with China’s censorship apparatus and unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression. The protest kicked off a global campaign amidst reports of Apple’s increased collusion with the Chinese government’s efforts to repress and censor free communication.

Displaying signs with the Apple logo that read “iWant Apple to Stop Supporting China’s Crackdown on Freedom,” “iWant Apple to Stand up for Freedom,” “iWant Apple to support the People, not the CCP,” and similar demands, the activists put Apple on notice that its consumers will hold the company accountable for the ethical implications of its business practices in China. Other visitors to the Apple store also filled out their own messages in support of the campaign to stop Apple from collaborating with the Chinese government’s crackdown.

Activists distributed flyers, detailing how Apple is supporting China’s state crackdown on freedom, via Apple’s ‘Airdrop’ feature, a tactic inspired by the pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

Apple’s decision to remove over 1,000 Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps from its China App Store in 2017 has made it essentially impossible for Tibetan, Uyghur, and Chinese rights defenders on the ground to safely communicate information deemed “sensitive” by China, such as topics involving the Dalai Lama, Tibetan freedom, Uyghur rights, or Tiananmen Square. Apple’s recent decision to bow to Chinese government pressure and remove HKmap.live from the App Store has also put Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters at further risk of an escalating police crackdown. Apple has also come under fire for removing the Taiwanese flag emoji for iOS users in Hong Kong and Macau, in addition to in mainland China.

“China censors, arrests, tortures, and even kills people who try to speak about freedom and human rights,” said Tenzin Dorjee, Senior Researcher and Strategist at Tibet Action Institute. “Apple’s removal of VPNs and similar apps from the App Store provides direct support to a crucial pillar of China’s authoritarian control and emboldens the Chinese government in its crackdown in Tibet and across China. 

Said Rose Tang, a student protest survivor of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, “Apple’s removal of the HKmap.live, as well as Tim Cook’s false claim that this was done in the interest of public safety, is straight out of the Chinese government’s repression playbook.”

Alex Chang of Keep Taiwan Free added, “By also removing the Taiwan flag emoji from its products, Apple is playing right into China’s plan to try to erase Taiwan’s existence as an independent country, showing just how far the company will go to carry out Beijing’s broader political goals.”

According to Rushan Abbas, Founder, Campaign for Uyghurs, “Over one million Uyghurs are currently being abused and tortured in Chinese government concentration camps. Anonymous communication online through VPNs is often the only lifeline that our people have to share information and avoid punishment for simply speaking about the treatment of their loved ones. Companies like Apple have a responsibility to ensure they do not bolster the Chinese government’s repressive regime.”

Added Sonamtso, Campaigns and Communications Director at Students for a Free Tibet, “We call on Apple to resist the oppressive influence of the Chinese government. Apple should know its consumers won’t stand for this kind of dangerous collusion.” 

“Citizens and activists in China are willing to risk jail for freedom of expression while Apple and other global companies practice self-censorship or even facilitate China’s internet censorship and surveillance system. This is morally and  politically unacceptable,” said Teng Biao, a prominent Chinese human rights lawyer and a visiting fellow at the U.S.-Asia Law Institute, New York University.

“Apple’s behaviour highlights the sacrifices, in terms of human rights and free expression, that corporations choose to make in order to operate in China. Worse, the company has refused to listen when human rights activists raised the alarm,” said Sondhya Gupta, Campaign Manager at SumOfUs. “Tech companies’ attitude of ‘break stuff and fix it later’ falls short when it’s people’s lives that are broken. With a proactive commitment to freedom of expression, Apple could have avoided this damage to its brand and, most importantly, human lives. We urge them to do so now.”

Last month, over a dozen Apple shareholders working with SumOfUs submitted a proposal on behalf of its members calling for a policy change that promotes free expression. The proposal will be considered at Apple’s annual shareholder meeting in 2020 and was submitted due to the concern about Apple’s complicity in restricting freedom of expression in countries and territories such as China, Tibet and East Turkestan.

Students For a Free Tibet calls for the immediate release of the detained Tibetan activists and call on India to stand for human rights and democracy.

We, Students for a Free Tibet-India (SFT-India), are shocked and disappointed by the arrest of three group members, including SFT-India National Director, Rinzin Choedon—along with members of the Tibetan Youth Congress and the prominent Tibetan activist Tenzin Tsundue ahead of Xi Jinping’s state visit to India for bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (1) Arrests started on Saturday 5 October with Tenzin Tsundue being detained from his hotel room in Villupuram district near Puducherry (approximately 100 kilometers from the Indo-China Summit venue) and continued on 6 October when more Tibetan activists were arrested by the Tamil Nadu Police. The reason behind the arrests is believed to be the Tibetans presence in the vicinity of the State visit days before its opening. These preemptive arrests highlight China’s growing influence over our democracies and their ability to press governments to silence freedom of speech in all corners of the world. 

A further 28 Tibetan students studying in Chennai city have been ordered to make daily appearance at the local police station and by doing so, many students missed their classes and exams. The detained activists were permitted a visit by their supporters on 9 October and it was reported that the activists all appeared to be in good health. Students for a Free Tibet-India will continue to monitor the health and safety of the detained Tibetan activists until they are released. 

During the visit, Rinzin Choedon, SFT India National Director and the other detained activists remained hopeful. When asked if she had a message for those outside, she responded optimistically:

“The chains on our wrists, the prison walls detaining us, those are temporary. The spirit and longing for freedom within every Tibetan, every Hong Konger, every Uyghur, every Taiwanese, and all of humanity, that cannot be imprisoned.” 

Students for a Free Tibet further call attention to the concerning situation of Tibetan refugees in Nepal. For over a decade Tibetan refugees living in Nepal have been denied the right to engage in political activism(2) and have faced an increasingly severe crackdown on basic human rights including banned participation in religious celebrations(3) and the obstruction of elections for the Central Tibetan Administration, Most recently, on 5 September 2019, Nepal deported six Tibetans who had crossed from Tibet into Nepal to seek asylum, handing them over to Chinese police shortly after they crossed the border.(4)

Currently Nepal, is under pressure from China, to sign an ‘extradition treaty’ which if approved could see Tibetan asylum seekers forcibly deported into the hands of the Chinese authorities; this will be a direct violation of the Statue of UNHCR.(5) In the past week alone, reports regarding Xi’s upcoming state visit to Nepal have been emerging, raising concerns of further crackdowns on the basic human rights of Tibetan refugees in Nepal.(6)

India is a land of freedom and democracy and Students for a Free Tibet believe that India can, and will, stand up for these values of human rights and freedom of speech. Compromising these values for economic benefits will inevitably erode the spirit of India and undermine its very constitution. Tibet’s freedom is India’s security.  

Furthermore, as China’s long arm has recently tried to silence Tibetans, we call on allies and friends of Tibet around the world to stand in solidarity by amplifying SFT-India’s message to Prime Minister Modi on behalf of the eight detained activists.

Students for a Free Tibet and the detained Tibetan activists strongly urge Prime Minister Modi to raise concerns about the dire human rights situation inside Tibet. SFT-India condemns political kowtowing to China, and urge world leaders to stand on the right side of history, today. Lastly, Students for a Free Tibet calls for the immediate release of the eight detained activists.