Letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay/ENG

2012. február 13. ITN/TibetPress

Your Excellency,

We, the undersigned members of the International Tibet Network, a global coalition of more than 185 Tibet-related advocacy groups, urgently appeals that the High Commissioner express grave concern about the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet, where there continues to be regular self-immolations by Tibetans of all ages - monastic and laypeople - and where China's use of lethal force in recent weeks has resulted in the killing of at least five Tibetan protesters.

We wish to alert the High Commissioner that there have been as many as 23 self-immolations by Tibetans in eastern Tibet since 2009; at least 14 of them fatal. 10 Tibetans are reported to have self-immolated since 1 January 2012. In recent months both the geographical spread and scale of Tibetan unrest has grown, with self-immolations now encompassing the Tibetan areas of Sichuan and Qinghai and the Tibet Autonomous Region, and several mass protests during which Chinese police opened fire on demonstrators resulting in extrajudicial killings of Tibetans. The common theme among all of those who have self-immolated is that they have called for freedom of Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama. In protests last week in Nangchen (Chinese: Nangqian) and Tridu (Chinese: Chenduo), large crowds gathered, calling for a "free Tibet," the release of all Tibetan political prisoners, and the return of the Dalai Lama.

We believe that China's crackdown and violent response is counter-productive, exacerbating the grievances Tibetans feel and strengthening their resistance to China's rule. More self-immolations and mass protests are inevitable unless the international community steps forward, to collectively sends a strong message to China that its policies and actions in Tibet are unacceptable.

We remain grateful to the High Commissioner for having expressed concern on the human rights situation in Tibet, including at past sessions of the UN Human Rights Council.  The five public statements issued last year by Special Procedure mandate-holders of the Council and your Office gave hope to Tibetans that the UN human rights mechanisms are closely monitoring rights violations committted by the People's Republic of China.

We appeal to you to make a public expression of concern in view of the human rights crisis faced by Tibetan people; to condemn the extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and enforced disappearances in Tibet and the massive security crackdown throughout Tibetan areas. The scale of this crisis now faced by Tibetans and China's unwillingness to exercise restraint against Tibetan demonstrations warrants a strong public response from the High Commissioner, as your Office has swiftly responded to other emerging situations.

We also urge that you press China to secure dates for you to make a visit in the near future, and that this visit includes a fact-finding mission to affected Tibetan areas, so that you may personally assess the situation on the ground.

Yours sincerely etc

SIGNED
A.C.T. Tibet Support Group
Aide aux Refugies Tibetains
Amigos del Tibet, El Salvafor
Anterrashtriya Bharat - Tibbet Sahyog Samiti
Asociacion Cultural Peruano Tibetana
Asociacion Cultural Tibetano - Costarricense
Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina
Association Dorje
Association Drôme Ardèche-Tibet
Association of Free Tibet
Association Rencontres Tibetaines - C.S.P.T. Midi-Pyrenees
Associazione Italia-Tibet
Australia Tibet Council
Australian Tibet House Inc.
Austrian Committee for Tibet
Autodétermination-Tibet 09/31
Bay Area Friends of Tibet
Bharrat Tibbat Sahyog Manch, India
Boston Tibet Network
Briancon05 Urgence Tibet
Caisse d'Aide aux Prisonniers Tibetains
Canada Tibet Committee
Casa del Tibet - Spain
Casa Tibet Mexico
Centro De Cultura Tibetana
Circle of Friends (Philippines)
Colorado Friends of Tibet
Comite de Apoyo al Tibet (CAT)
Comite de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain (Les Lilas)
Committee of 100 for Tibet
Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India
Corse - Tibet
CTC - Calgary
Dhokam Chushi Gangdruk
Eco-Tibet France
Eco-Tibet Ireland
Fair Society o.s.
Foundation for Universal Responsibility
France-Tibet
Free Tibet
Friends of Tibet - Isamailia (Egypt)
Friends of Tibet in Costa Rica
Friends of Tibet in Finland
Friends of Tibet New Zealand
Friends of Tibet Slovakia
Friends of Tibet Society St. Petersburg, Russia
Fundacion Pro Tibet
Gannasamannay
Groupe Non-Violent Louis Lecoin, France
Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, Portugal
Grupo De Apoyo a Tibet Chile
Grupo Pro-Cultura Tibetana, Chile
Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights - Tibet Desk
Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet
India Tibet Friendship Society
International Campaign for Tibet
International Campaign for Tibet Deutschland
International Campaign for Tibet Europe
International Society of Human Rights, Munich Chapter (IGFM)
International Tibet Independence Movement
International Youth Human Rights Group - Human Rights in Tibet
Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People
Jamtse Thundel Association
Japan Association of Monks for Tibet
Japan Committee of 100 for TIbet
La Porte du Tibet, Geneva
Le Club Francais
Les Amis du Tibet - Belgium
Les Amis du Tibet - Luxembourg
Lions Des Neiges Mont Blance, France
Lithuanian Tibet Culture Foundation
Los Angeles Friends of Tibet
Lung-Ta Project
Mahatma Gandhi Tibet Freedom Movement
Maison des Himalayas
Maison du Tibet - Tibet Info
National Campaign for Tibetan Support, India
National Democratic Party of Tibet
Nice Tibet
Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association
Nos Amis de l'Himalaya
Ns3 Rigpa Community Builder’s Foundation
Objectif Tibet
Passeport Tibetain
Pensando En Tibet - Mexico
Phagma Drolma-Arya Tara
Polish Movement for a Free Tibet
Raise Tibetan Flag Campaign
Reseau International des Femmes pour le Tibet
Roof of the World Foundation, Indonesia
Sakya Trinley Ling
San Diego Friends of Tibet
Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet
Save Tibet, Austria
Save Tibet Foundation
Sierra Friends of Tibet
Society for Croatia-Tibet Friendship
Society for Threatened Peoples International
Solidarite Tibet
South African Friends of Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet - Bangladesh
Students for a Free Tibet - France
Students for a Free Tibet - India
Students for a Free Tibet - Japan
Students for a Free Tibet - UK
Students for a Free Tibet – Canada
Students for a Free Tibet New Zealand
Students for a Free Tibet, Poland
Swedish Tibet Committee
Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association (GSTF)
Taiwan Friends of Tibet
Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation
The Foundation for Civil Society, Russia
The Norwegian Tibet Committee
The Tibetan Alliance of Chicago
The World Tibet Day Foundation
The Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, Mongolia and Turkestan
Tibet 59 / 62
Tibet Action Group of Western Australia
Tibet cesky (Tibet in Czech)
Tibet Committee of Fairbanks
Tibet Democratie
Tibet Group-Panama
Tibet Initiative Deutschland
Tibet Justice Center
Tibet Languedoc
Tibet Liberte Solidarite
Tibet Libertes, France
Tibet Lives, India
Tíbet Patria Libre, Uruguay
Tibet Society, U.K.
Tibet Solidarity Forum, Bangladesh
Tibet Support Association - Hungary
Tibet Support Committee Denmark
Tibet Support Group - Ireland
Tibet Support Group - Krasnodar Region, Russia
Tibet Support Group - Netherlands
Tibet Support Group - Romania
Tibet Support Group - Sochi Region, Russia
Tibet Support Group Adelaide - Australia
Tibet Support Group Kenya
Tibet Support Group Kiku, Japan
Tibet Support Network Japan
Tibet Unterstutzung Liechtenstein
Tibetan Association of Germany
Tibetan Association of Ithaca
Tibetan Association of Northern California
Tibetan Association of Philadephia
Tibetan Association of Santa Fe
Tibetan Association of Southern California
Tibetan Buddhist Center (Singapore)
Tibetan Community Austria
Tibetan Community in Britain
Tibetan Community in Denmark
Tibetan Community in Ireland
Tibetan Community in Poland
Tibetan Community of Australia (Victoria)
Tibetan Community of Italy
Tibetan Community Sweden
Tibetan Cultural Association - Quebec
Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre
Tibetan Programme of The Other Space Foundation
Tibetan Rights and Freedom Committee
Tibetan Student Association, Madras (TSAM)
Tibetan Women's Association
Tibetan Women's Association and Friends Australia
Tibetan Youth Association in Europe
Tibetan Youth Congress
Tibetan Youth UK
Tibetisches Zentrum Hamburg
TIBETmichigan
Tibets Kinder im Exile V.
Toronto Tibet Youth Congress
TSG - Slovenia (Formally Foundation Dharmaling)
TSG Free Tibet And You
Tsowa-Maintenir la Vie, France
U.S. Tibet Committee
Union Latvija Tibetai (Latvia for Tibet )
United Nations for a Free Tibet (UNFFT)
Vrienden Van Tibet
Western Colorado Friends of Tibet
Wisconsin Tibetan Association
Zida Cels, Latvia