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International Campaign for Tibet HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
T Interactive Dialogue: Reports of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of the right to freedom of expression and the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions Statement by Mr. Kai Mueller on behalf of Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights Madame President, We wish to thank the Special Rapporteurs for their continued communications with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on human rights situation faced by the Tibetan people, including on the denial of the right to freedom of opinion and expression. In this respect, we remain grateful that on 10 February, 2012 a Joint Urgent Appeal was communicated by to China by seven mandate-holders, including the Special Rapporteurs[1] concerned in this interactive dialogue. This intervention said: "According to the information received, on 23, 24 and 26 January 2012, security forces opened fired on unarmed protestors in Luho[2], Seda and Rangtang Counties respectively. At least seven persons were allegedly killed, and 60 injured. Several individuals were also arrested and detained. The allegedly peaceful protestors were demanding, inter alia, the end of religious repression and the return of the Dalai Lama. At the time of drafting the urgent appeal, the situation remained very tense, and access to these locations by independent human rights monitors and foreign media was reportedly prohibited."[3] Madame President, We know that on 12 April, 2012[4] the Chinese authorities provided their clarifications to the above communication while confirming that several Tibetans were shot dead or succumbed to gun-shot wounds. Unfortunately, the main focus of China’s response was to project peaceful Tibetan protests[5] in Dranggo, Serthar and Dzamthang[6] as violent acts and blamed the Tibetans for getting killed.[7] Following protest in Dranggo, a monk named Tsering Gyaltsen was arrested on 9 February, 2012. Information has now emerged that he was beaten and tortured to have died on the same day but this information only reached the family and relatives only recently. The monk’s body was not handed over to the family. Madame President, The situation faced by the Tibetan people shows that their rights to freedom of expression is not only denied but is even violently and repeatedly curtailed by the Chinese authorities. China has to date failed to open independent investigation to extrajudicial killings of Tibetans in 2008 as requested by the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions. We call upon the Chinese authorities to positively respond to requests from Special Procedure mandate-holders for a fact-finding mission to Tibetan areas and urge China to refrain from violent suppression of Tibetan protests. I thank you, Madame President. June 20, 2012
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