TCHRD Launches Annual Report on Human Rights in Tibet, Special Report on Kham Driru
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA 4 April: The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) declared that Kham Driru in occupied Tibet has “turned into one of the most tightly-controlled regions in Tibet” with harsh security clampdown, amounting to crimes against humanity, TCHRD declared in its latest special report on Kham Driru.
The Dharamsala-based Tibetan rights group launched the special report and its 2024 annual report on the human rights situation in occupied Tibet today at the Norbu guest house in Mcleod Ganj.
“In 2024, the human rights situation in Tibet further deteriorated as Chinese authorities intensified policies of sinicization, forced displacement, and suppression of fundamental freedom,” the annual report said.
“The year was marked by an escalated crackdown on religious institutions and schools, arbitrary detentions, environmental exploitation and transnational repression targetting Tibetans abroad.”
Ahead of the launch, TCHRD also hosted a panel discussion on Kham Driru with various speakers, including independent researchers and lawyers.
The special report, titled “If Gyalmo Ngulchu Could Feel: Crimes Against Humanity in Driru” details the horrific retaliation by the Chinese government following the 28 September 2013 protest. Organised by local Tibetans in Driru, the protest saw Chinese national flags dumped into the Gyalmo Ngulchu river in defiance of the coercive Chinese flag-flying campaign to observe the founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China on 1st October.
It is stated in the report that, the Chinese security forces inflicted open fire on unarmed protesters injuring at least 20 people, four of whom have sustained critical injuries.
The report further stated that those who defied the directive of the Chinese government faced severe consequences that jeopardised the livelihoods of local Tibetans. Dissenters were denied fundamental rights, such as enrolling their children in school, receiving medical care at state hospitals, and accessing state subsidies. Additionally, they were prohibited from harvesting Yartsa Gunbu (Caterpillar fungus), a valuable medicinal plant that has become a primary source of income for Tibetans.
Tsering Tsomo, Research Director at TCHRD said during the panel discussion that the protest in Kham Driru is particularly significant because of the region’s location within the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
She pointed out that the Chinese government typically portrays the TAR as being more “peaceful” compared to other Tibetan areas outside the TAR’s boundaries. She said that the presence of protests in Driru directly challenges this official narrative about stability in the region.
She further stated the latest report on Driru marks a departure from previous reports by providing a comprehensive historical context for dissent in the region, focusing specifically on armed resistance by Tibetan groups against Chinese authorities in 1959 and 1969.
“The report characterises the human rights situation in Driru as exceeding mere violations of human rights, asserting that these actions constitute crimes against humanity. Additionally, the report includes a detailed analysis of the specific leadership figures implicated in these crimes against the Tibetan population in Driru”.
Kunchok Rinchen, a Tibetan lawyer in exile who hails from the region, stated that the report serves as tangible evidence contradicting China’s claims about development and idyllic conditions in the so-called TAR as portrayed in their recent white paper.
He urged the exiled government, non-governmental organisations, and media outlets to use this report as a basis for filing legal action against the Chinese Communist Party.
