End occupation of Tibet, end violations of Human Rights

Open letter

Your Excellency
President of the People’s Republic of China
HU Jintao Guojia Zhuxi
The State Council General Office
2 Fuyoujie, Xichengqu
Beijingshi 100017, VR CHINA

End occupation of Tibet, end violations of Human Rights!

With regret Human Rights International ascertains, that the violations of Human Rights in Tibet are still going on. In the year 1949 the army of the People’s Republic of China invaded Tibet. At that time, according to the law of nations, Tibet was an independent state. It had its own people of nation, its own authority of state, its national territory and its own currency.

Two years later, Tibet was annexed by China and during the year 1965 the administrative territorial reform took place. Disrupting the territory of Tibet, the original area of around 2,5 Mill.km² was reduced to 1,22 Mill. km². This was achieved by dividing big areas among the Chinese provinces of Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan.

The annexing of Tibet was illegal and cannot be legitimated through the longstanding military occupation. According to international law, the Tibetans, at the present time, are a nation that is being illegally occupied by the People’s Republic of China.

According to art. 1 and 2 of the General Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations, and according to art. 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1966, Tibet has the right of self-determination:

Art.1:"All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development."

After the invasion, China tried to legitimate the occupation through the 17-point-pact that was made on 23.5.1951 between the People’s Republic of China and the government of Tibet. As this treaty originated under compulsion it is to be considered as legally invalid. Besides, the therein mentioned rights and protective clauses in favour of the Tibetans were not kept by China.

The consequences of China’s ongoing oppression in Tibet are severe violations of human rights, environmental destructions as well as economic, social, juridicaland cultural disadvantages of the Tibetan population and an increasing sinicization of Tibet.

Can Tibet be a Chinese “internal affair”? A counter-question gives an answer: in case Chinese territory would be militarily occupied and annexed by another super power, would then the government in Peking accept their argument that it is only an “internal affair”? They would rightfully dismiss it as misleading.

This is also the case in Tibet: an occupation of an independent state in violation of the law of nations and the oppression of the Tibetan population can never be a Chinese “internal affair”.

Human Rights International (HRI) appeals to China, to put an end to the injustice that lasts since 1949 in Tibet, to voluntarily withdraw from the occupied territories and to restore the territorial integrity of before the invasion of 1949.

HRI raises its voice against the injustice in Tibet, lasting since 1949 and asks the community of states as well as all governmental and non-governmental organizations to support these demands peacefully but firmly: make your contribution in order to assert international law and stop out crying injustice.

24.04.08
Human Rights International (onlus)
Board of Administration