TibetandHumanRights

Tibet and Human Rights = =

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**What is the history of this issue? **
China claimed control over Tibet in the 18th century. For many years Tibet's borders and status as an independent region were under great dispute. A main contributor to the constant battle is the fact that China and Tibet have never been able to come to an agreement about China's authority in Tibet. Historically Tibet has operated as a separate province from China. Though for centuries, Beijing has //claimed// control of this Himalayan region, Tibet's loyalties lie with the exiled Dalai Lama whom China views as a threat. The conflict between China and Tibet consists of Tibet claiming that it is independent and China claiming its ruling over Tibet goes back for centuries. In 1950, China took a military approach and sent thousands of troops into Tibet. As the result of pressure from other countries, China loosened its grip on Tibet in the 1980s.



The violation of human rights have been of major concern in Tibet. Basic and fundamental rights have been repressed by the Chinese government: rights like freedom of speech, belief, freedom from want and freedom from fear. Major violations of these rights in Tibet include the censorship of the internet, extrajudicial killings, premature executions, torture and coerced confessions of prisoners, and the use of forced labor, including the labor of prisoners. There continue to be major consequences for any reporter, journalist, activist, ect. that depict the government in a way that seems unfair to the authorities. Individual groups face major issues in practicing their rights as well, especially in groups that represent topics deemed sensitive by the Chinese government. The abuse of these rights by the Chinese government has fueled countless protests over the past couple of years. Tibetans have, and continue to fight back against the Chinese government for their freedoms.

How serious is this issue in China?
The issue of Tibet and human rights is a top concern in China right now. There have been lots of protests of Tibetans in response to China's decisions regarding the region. The following is a picture of Tibetans protesting in India, where their Dalai Lama is in exile.



An article in the Boston Globe, March 2009, stated that after the Chinese government formed a holiday that was offensive to the Tibetans, "Hundreds of Tibetans in the northern Indian city of Dharmsala - the headquarters of Dalai Lama's government-in-exile - and in the Nepalese capital of Katmandu held street protests against Beijing's rule."

There is much violation of human rights in Tibet, as discussed earlier. These current events provoke protests like the one in the picture above, as well as the government taking action. Below is a short clip showing a Tibetan nun speaking about the lack of human rights in Tibet.

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The Tibetan Post did a count for 2010 of the Human Rights situation in Tibet: "As of 30 December 2010, there are **831 known political prisoners in Tibet out of which 360 are known to have been legally convicted by courts** and **12 Tibetans are serving life imprisonment term**. During the year, **188 known Tibetans have been arrested and detained, out of which 71 have already been sentenced by the courts**. The crackdown on intellectuals and cultural figures continued to take place this year also. Since 2008, **over 60 Tibetan writers, bloggers, intellectuals and cultural figures have been arrested. The authorities targeted prominent Tibetan figures during the year who were earlier looked upon as exemplary individuals.** China theoretically banned torture in 1996 but evidence obtained through duress was routinely accepted as the definition of illegal acts was vague that police used various techniques to work around the ban. In restive regions like Tibet, **torture is a regular feature in the detention centres and prisons. The police use inhumane techniques and torture to present evidence before the courts.** "

The region of Tibet poses a great concern to the Chinese government. Here is a video showing an interview with the Dalai Lama, in which he discusses his concerns about Tibetan culture and relations with China:

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**au·ton·o·my**
1. independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions: the autonomy of the individual.  2. the condition of being autonomous; self-government, or the right of self-government; independence: The rebels demanded autonomy from Spain.  3. a self-governing community.

**What appear to be the short and long term effects of this issue?** The short term affects of this are protest and dispute among the people in both Tibet and China. There is lots of violence throughout the region, especially resulting from the protests. BBC news says "Clashes between protesters and security forces in Tibet's main city of Lhasa have left at least two people dead, according to reports."

Long term affects of this issue will escalate depending on current protests and actions. The major impact that issues of human rights and ruling of Tibet will be a poor relationship between the region. Fighters for human rights will continue to protest, and the question of who has authority will keep causing controversy. Until these issues are settled, the regions will still be hostile toward each other, and violence will continue. When government forces respond violently to protests, they attract attention from other nations, which has in the past caused the government to withdraw slightly. If this continues to happen, the situation in Tibet does have a chance of getting better, which could be a long term effect of the current issue.

===**What are your thoughts? Are there solutions to this problems? Should America get involved? ** === We think that Tibet should have the rights that China is preventing them from having. The Tibetans are people too, they deserve freedom of speech, belief, freedom from want and freedom from fear, which China is not granting them. As for authority, we believe that Tibet should be allowed it's own government, and that the Dalai Lama should be given his power. As the Dalai Lama said, the Tibetans have an ancient civilization with ancient heritage, and they should be able to keep their heritage alive, and value their culture, which the Chinese government is giving the death sentence, according to the Dalai Lama. Plus, the Chinese government is ruling from very far away, as the cities are located on China's coast, and Tibet is in the Himalayas. So, even if China gained control completely, that position would still be hard to maintian, as it is now. America probably should not get involved for now, as it seems that even more troops in the region would add to negative tension and violence. Although it may take the force of other countries for China to realize that it is wrong to treat Tibetans as they are.