Take action – tell your representatives to stand up for Tibet at the UN

In November, China will undergo its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

During the UPR process, the Chinese delegation will present what they have done to improve human rights in China. The other states present will respond by raising human rights concerns in China and making recommendations to China on addressing ongoing human rights violations.

Earlier this year, Tibet groups submitted summaries of human rights violations [j2] in Tibet to the Human Rights Council. These reports detailed cases of arbitrary detentions, torture deaths in prison, as well as widespread violations of Tibetans’ freedom of expression, movement and religion. Many of these violations have worsened since China had its last UPR in 2013.

While it has carried out these abuses, Beijing has doubled down on its attempts to close Tibet off from the world. Human rights monitors and journalists are denied free access to Tibet, Tibet’s borders are sealed to prevent refugees from reaching safety in India and a mass surveillance system has made it riskier than ever for Tibetans to discuss human rights or send details of abuses to the outside world. It is therefore crucial that international governments confront China directly about its human rights violations in Tibet, to challenge Beijing on its record and to demonstrate that the outside world is following events in Tibet and that it will not be deterred by any attempts to cover up abuses.

We need the United Kingdom and other governments to raise Tibet at the UPR. Please contact your MP or representative, urging them to contact their national government and ask that human rights in Tibet is among the topics raised at the UPR.

We have included a model letter that you can either send in its present form or adapt with your own talking points. Please be polite at all times. If you receive a response from your representative, please let us know by contacting advocacy@tibetsociety.com.

Full Joint UPR Submission: bit.ly/Tibet_UPR2018

Sample Letter can be found here.

Your Foreign Ministry Contact can be found here.

The contact details of your MP can be found here.