Tibet

Tibet is a Region of Central Asia. Tibet has been invaded and occupied by China in 1951 and is a Province of the People’s Republic of China.

The spiritual leader of the Tibetan Buddhist community is the Dalai Lama. In 1933 Tenzin Gyatso was nominated Dalai Lama. He was obliged to escape from Lhasa, the capital, in 1951, and now resides in India.

The Tibetan populated areas of China are strictly controlled by foreign observers, mainly after the recent disorders in march 2009. After the first days, protests were mainly peaceful. However, authorities have stated that 21 persons had been killed by violent demonstrators and Tibetan organizations abroad have reported that more than 100 Tibetans had been killed.

While Chinese authorities announced that more than 1,000 people detained during the protests had been released, Tibetan organizations abroad have calculated that at the end of the year many hundreds were still detained. The exact number is difficult to ascertain as authorities have denied access to the media and international observers.
Torture and ill-treatment have been signaled during detention, in some cases leading to death. The main monasteries and convents have been closed. Local authorities have relaunched the “patriotic education” campaign, requesting Tibetans to participate in collective critical sessions of the Dalai Lama and to undersign complaints against him. Also Tibetan members of the Chinese Communist Party were targeted by this campaign, obliging them to take their children out of Tibetan community schools, were they received their religious education.
In Lhasa authorities have increased police operations to identify and detain people suspected of obstructing the governmental anti-separatist campaign or of programming protests for the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama’s escape to India. This included political prisoners and their families, guilty of minor charges, and temporary visitors.

In October 2009 Chinese authorities suggested to the government to re-open the dialogue with the Dalai Lama’s representatives, if he agreed to stop his visits to world leaders.
In February 2010 the Dalai Lama was received by the President of the United States, Barack Obama.