The Tibetan Genocide

The Chinese have repeatedly tortured, imprisoned, and murdered Tibetans all for what they claim is national unity. While the oppression of the Tibetan people began in the 1950’s with the invasion of China, it continues just as strongly today. From religious oppression and unfair trials to the torture of nuns and monks, the Chinese abuse even the most reverent aspects of Tibetan culture. Political prisoners, whether they are monks, nuns or lay people, are tortured with utter disregard for human rights. Chinese laws have also been established to eradicate the Tibetan people entirely. Women often must endure forced abortions and sterilization due to Chinese birth policies. Through all of these crimes against humanity, China repeatedly commits acts of genocide as established by the United Nations.

A precise definition of genocide was instituted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948. It states that genocide occurs when, “one group kills members of another group, causes serious bodily or mental harm, inflicts conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, prevents births within the group, and forcibly transfers children of the group to another group” (Destexhe, 1). Using this definition as a guideline, it is clear that China has not only committed genocide against Tibet in the past, but is continually doing so in contemporary society.

China’s policy of political imprisonment is a clear act of genocide. It is used to incite bodily and mental harm and inflict conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Tibetan people. At times imprisonment even results in death. These crimes are all accomplished under the guise of being legal in Chinese law. A statement made by Amnesty International in 1996 cites these abuses:

Torture and ill-treatment remain widespread and systemic in China…these violations occur in police stations, detention centers, labor camps, and prisons across the country, sometimes resulting in the death of victims. Many acts which constitute torture or ill-treatment-notably the use of torture to punish, coerce, or intimidate a person-are not offenses under the law. (Kent, 222)

Many Tibetans are arrested and put through such treatment with little to no evidence supporting them as criminals. In a sudden “clampdown” that started in February of 1992, groups of ten Chinese raided Tibetan homes in Lhasa arresting more than 200 people. Those arrested were said to be in possession of “subversive materials, such as photographs, and tapes or books containing speeches or teachings of the Dalai Lama” (Kumar, 77).