Reports
Weaponising Big Data: Decoding China’s digital surveillance in Tibet
If Tibetans were controlled by arms and ammunitions of China in the last century, today, they are also controlled through the phones in their pockets and cameras outside homes, with their reality, unbeknownst to them, being calculated for more oppression in the CCP’s Oracle [database].
This report uncovers the Chinese government’s escalated digital surveillance in Tibet, marked by the compulsory installation of the ‘National Anti-Fraud Centre’ app on smartphones. Initially presented as a fraud prevention tool, the app is in fact a crucial element of a larger surveillance network.
Desecration in Drago County: Destruction of Tibetan religious heritage, arbitrary detentions and torture
Since October 2021, residents of Drago County in Tibet have been under siege, with their cultural and religious heritage coming under attack and locals being detained, tortured and subjected to “re-education”.
The acts of the police and local authorities in Drago County have violated Tibetans’ rights to self-determination and freedom of religion, education, expression and assembly. They have also restricted Tibetans’ freedom to take part in cultural life, as well as their rights to privacy, liberty, security of person and freedom from torture.
Olympics Report: Lessons from a Human Rights Disaster
Despite the controversy surrounding the 2008 Olympics, protest in the West was muted, with little action taken by governments and Olympic associations. The decision to award the 2022 Winter Olympics to Beijing has reopened the debate about what can be done to challenge a host government which is anticipating a second opportunity to ‘sportswash’ its extensive human rights violations.
Options for action include diplomatic and sporting boycotts, but doing nothing cannot be an option this time. The gravity of the human rights situation in Tibet is too serious for inaction.
Tibet’s Climate Crisis: The need for a rights-based approach
The scientific consensus in China and beyond demands a critical rethink of climate policies. This briefing will highlight how indigenous stewardship of land would better achieve the stated goals of protecting the environment.
Tibetans’ traditional ecological knowledge system has allowed its environment to remain intact for centuries and has thus ensured the stability of its diverse ecosystems and year-round freshwater availability for its neighbouring countries. This knowledge must be recognised and used to inform environmental policy in the Tibetan Plateau.
Behind the Curtain: the Jokhang fire six months on
On 17 February 2018, reports of a fire at the Jokhang temple in Lhasa spread across social media. Despite the seemingly clear evidence, the news quickly became contested, with a range of competing claims over the location of the fire and its impact on the Jokhang.
Six months on, our report brings together the details that we do know, including satellite imagery of the Jokhang which appears to show extensive damage to the site.
Destroying Heaven: China's campaign of destruction at Larung Gar
In this joint report, Free Tibet and Tibet Watch will show the scale of the damage to Larung Gar and the impact on its residents. Using satellite imagery from before and after demolitions took place, testimonies from residents and accounts from journalists who have gained access to Larung Gar, this report will argue that the demolitions have not been motivated by concerns over the residents’ safety. Instead, the objectives behind the destruction appear to be the elimination of an alternative source of authority to Chinese Communist Party rule.
30 Years of Resistance: the legacy of the 1987 Lhasa protests
This anniversary report from Tibet Watch presents never-before-seen images of the 1987 Lhasa protests, together with details of the brave protesters pictured. It also explains the impact of the protests in the context of the wider Tibet movement and, specifically, how they led to the creation of Free Tibet.
Please note that some of the images in the report are graphic in nature and some readers may find them upsetting.
Tibet's "Intolerable" Monasteries: The role of monasteries in Tibetan resistance since 1950
China fears the influence of Tibetan Buddhism and the monks and nuns who have been at the forefront of Tibetan resistance since the invasion in 1950. The Chinese government has tried various ways to control religion in Tibet but has repeatedly failed and resorted to violence and repression.
It is clear that as long as China continues to trample on human rights and suppress freedom of religion in Tibet, monks and nuns will continue to resist.
An Interview with Nyima Lhamo
The niece of the late Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Nyima Lhamo arrived in exile in July 2016. This report presents the interview which she gave to the Tibet Watch researchers in Dharamsala, India.
Nyima explains how her uncle's death affected people, the struggle her family faced in trying to pay their last respects and the trauma of being arrested for sharing details of his death with the outside world.
You can download a pdf copy below.
Blood on the Snows: Torture in Tibet
A compilation of the strongest evidence we put before the Committee Against Torture (CAT) in our various submissions, together with a summary of our engagement with the Committee and what we achieved. The report draws together the key testimonies and reports that we presented to CAT in our various submissions.
Published on Human Rights Day 2015, this report is also our tribute to the bravery of all Tibetans who have suffered as a result of their resistance to the Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Environmental Protests on the Tibetan Plateau
Protests on environmental issues in Tibet have taken many different forms and used some very creative methods. Tibet Watch has collated reports of the protests we have confirmed over the last few years and presented them here.
Crackdown in Kardze
An overview and update on events in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture during August 2014. The report includes the village leader's arrest, the protest where the crowd was fired upon by security forces, and subsequent deaths - also some analysis of the wider context.
Culture Clash: Tourism in Tibet
A look at the development of tourism in Tibet - the ethics, the cultural tension, the 'Disneyfication' - includes images from "She is Crying on the Hill" - a blog post by a Chinese traveller which presents, and comments on, images of other Chinese tourists behaving in a highly intrusive and aggressive manner.
An Interview with Golog Jigme Gyatso
Six years of surveillance, imprisonment, torture and a difficult journey into exile.
Driru County: The New Hub of Tibetan Resistance
An account of events in Driru County since September 2013.
Dzoege County: "Maintaining Harmony and Stability"
China's harsh new measures to prevent self-immolation protests.
No Faith in the State - Tibetans Speak about Religious Restrictions
Mao may be long gone, but the poisonous attitude of the Communist authorities towards Tibetan Buddhism lives on.
Broken Promises - Human Rights Violations in Tibet since the 2008 Olympic Games
Broken Promises documents the extent of China’s broken Olympic promises made the IOC and the international community.
Perversities of Extreme Dependence and Unequal Growth in the TAR
An independent analysis on the rapid growth generated in the TAR by China.