Amnesty Interational: China Must Avoid Excessive Force in Response to Tibetan Protests [View all]

[ellisonz]

January 25, 2012
Contact: Sharon Singh, [e-mail], 202-675-8579

(Washington, D.C.) -- China must avoid using excessive force in response to protests and allow independent monitors into areas of protest, Amnesty International said today after Chinese security forces in Sichuan Province reportedly fired on Tibetan protestors for a second successive day.

Chinese authorities have dismissed reports based on eyewitness accounts of deadly clashes between police and Tibetan protesters as "hype."

"The Chinese authorities are responding only with repression and a security crackdown to an already volatile situation, instead of addressing long-standing human rights grievances on the part of Tibetans,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific director. "The situation has not improved in Tibetan areas since 2008 when tensions exploded into violence. Grievances regarding restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms have gotten worse, not better."

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Amnesty International repeated its request that the Chinese government allow independent monitors, for instance the U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, into the country.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/news-item/china-must-avoid-excessive-force-in-response-to-tibetan-protests-says-amnesty-international

The PRC will close Tibet to all foreigners from February 20th to March 30th for the 5th year in a row: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002190538

Timeline of Tibetan self-immolations and governmental statements on them 2011-2012
Tibetan Self-Immolations Government Statements





Courtesy of the International Campaign for Tibet: http://weblog.savetibet.org/