DHARAMSHALA, June 4: The Washington based International Campaign for Tibet has expressed concerns over the draft laws on security, counter-terrorism and non-governmental organizations nearing implementation in China.
Matteo Meccaci, the President of the International Campaign for Tibet, said, “In the week of the 26th anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre, for which no one has been held accountable, it is worrying to see the Chinese government pushing forward new legislation that would curtail even more basic human rights. The new draft laws have taken shape in the context of a political environment in Tibet which has involved killing with impunity, torture and imprisonment of individuals.”
Matteo added that the Chinese government’s counter terror measures have become the cause of instability and are therefore counterproductive. He said that the new draft security and counter-terror laws will heighten tensions still further. “There must be a complete review and revision of the laws, as they are in contravention of international and national Chinese law that safeguards freedom or religion and belief and freedom of expression and opinion.”
The new draft law represents an escalation in an expansive ‘counter-terrorism’ drive launched by the government following the killings in Xinjiang that has increasingly targeted Tibetans, despite the absence of any violent insurgency in Tibet, said the ICT.
In the new law, “violent terrorist ideology” is equated with actions that may be completely non-violent, such as “splittism”, which can include almost any peaceful expression of Tibetan national identity or culture, and undermining of “ethnic unity”.
The law says that “Counter-terrorism education, guidance, supervision, inspections and evaluation of schools’ counter-terrorism work” must be strengthened, demanding further political indoctrination into schools, which is likely to deepen the negative impact of anti-Dalai Lama and “anti-separatism” propaganda.
