China’s Human Rights Record Condemned by UN Investigators

By Sean Fitzpatrick / March 12, 2017;

Larung Gar Academy

China’s human rights record has been condemned by six United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteurs following an investigation into demolitions and evictions taking place at the Tibetan Buddhist centres of Larung Gar and Yachen Gar in the Sichuan Province.

The Chinese government began demolitions at Larung Gar in July 2016, tearing down homes and expelling monks from the area’s Buddhist institutions. Local officials hope to reduce the centre’s population from 20,000 to 5,000 residents by the end of the year, citing safety concerns following a fire which destroyed nearly 100 homes in the densely populated settlement in 2014. Similar evictions have been noted at the nearby settlement of Yachen Gar.

The investigators’ verdict was revealed after internal communications made on November 7 last year were released last month, prior to the commencement of the 34th meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

A report released alongside the Special Rapporteurs’ statements highlighted several “severe restrictions” of religious freedom across the Tibetan Autonomous Region and surrounding areas, including the “mass expulsion of religious practitioners from Larung Gar and Yachen Gar, demolitions of monastic homes in Larung Gar and the cultural and environmental impacts of the mining activities at the Holy Gong-ngon Lari Mountain as well as excessive use of force against, and arbitrary arrest and detention of, peaceful protestors”.

The Chinese government was sent a nine-point petition demanding further information on events at the Sichuan Buddhist centres as part of the initial investigation, with responses expected to be presented to the Human Rights Council during this year’s session.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein
Photo: VOA

The Special Rapporteurs’ concerns were echoed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, speaking on day nine of the UNHRC. “I am also disturbed by cases of restrictions on cultural and religious rights, particularly in Xinjiang and Tibet, and I will continue to reach out to China for an effective dialogue on important human rights issues,” he said.

In December 2016, the European Parliament voted through a resolution similarly condemning the controversial demolitions and evictions at Larung Gar and Yachen Gar.