G7: Challenge China’s Abuses in Tibet – JOINT LETTER

G7: Challenge China’s Abuses in Tibet – JOINT LETTER

February 27, 2025Media Centre, News

28 February 2025

Dear Honorable G7 Foreign Ministers: 

Hon Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Canada; Mr Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister of Foreign Affairs, France; Hon. Annalena Baerbock, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany; Mr Antonio Tajani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Italy; His Excellency Takeshi Iwaya, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Japan; Hon David Lammy, Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, UK; Hon Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, United States of America;  Hon. Kaja Kallas, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy & Vice-President of the European Commission

Re: Urgent action against China’s crackdown in Tibet

We, a coalition of over 142 Tibet-related rights groups, are writing to you ahead of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Canada on 12-14 March 2025, urging you to take firm joint action concerning China’s relentless crackdown on Tibet [1] and attempts to eradicate Tibetans’ distinct identity. 

In October 2024 we saw 15 UN member states, including six G7 countries [2], deliver a joint statement at the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee expressing serious concern about “credible reports detailing human rights abuses in Tibet” and stress that China has had multiple opportunities to meaningfully address the widespread concerns about human rights in Tibet but it has systematically failed to do so. 

Occupied for over seven decades, China’s rule in Tibet is one of the last remnants of 20th-century colonialism, and G7 countries must take a stand. In February 2025, Freedom House [3] gave Tibet a global freedom score of zero out of a hundred; scoring lower than North Korea, Sudan and the Gaza Strip. This is an explicit charge of the worsening situation in occupied Tibet under China’s failed policies and another clear sign that global leaders must take stronger action.  

The occupation of Tibet is epitomised by a vast and alarming system of colonial-style residential boarding schools, in which approximately one million Tibetan children are forcibly separated from their families, placed into state-run facilities where they are made to speak and study in Chinese and subjected to intense political indoctrination. [4]

By intentionally uprooting Tibetan children from their families and culture, and placing them in state-run boarding schools, the Chinese authorities are using one of the most heinous tools of colonisation to attack Tibetan identity. While China claims to be educating Tibetan children, the world knows what it looks like when children are pushed into boarding schools run by a state that wants to wipe out their culture, including high levels of alienation, loss of identity, and intergenerational trauma.

In the last two years, multiple UN human rights bodies have raised the alarm at the escalation of human rights violations in Tibet, including the colonial boarding school system [5]; an extensive labour transfer programme [6]; the relocation of millions of rural Tibetans from their lands; the imprisonment of Tibetan environmental defenders [7]; and increased restrictions on the provision of Tibetan-language education. Tibetans who criticise or protest these policies or even peacefully express their Tibetan identity continue to face arbitrary detention, [8] enforced disappearances, torture, and death in custody [9] at the hands of the Chinese state. [10] 

China’s interference in Tibet’s freedom of religion is also a call for much concern. The Chinese government imposes tight controls on Tibetan Buddhism, and monks and nuns who try to observe their faith outside of these narrow confines face extreme repression. The Chinese government’s control of freedom of religion extends to matters of reincarnation, with the CCP asserting that the Party, rather than Tibetan Buddhists themselves, will determine the identity of the next Dalai Lama. Meanwhile, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the Panchen Lama remains missing with no news of his health or location. This May will mark 30 years since he was abducted as a six-year-old, making him the world’s youngest political prisoner at the time.

China’s development plans across the Tibetan plateau pose wide-scale and significant threats to the fragile environment, threatening essential biodiversity, and creating severe water security issues as well as displacing local population through “environmental or ecological migration”. [11][12] Tibetans have no say in whether these projects take place [13], and those who report or challenge them are arbitrarily detained and imprisoned, such as Tsongon Tsering [14], sentenced to prison in 2024 for reporting illegal mining. He is just one of the many [15] Tibetan environmental defenders who have been targeted by Chinese authorities for exposing China’s exploitation of Tibet and its environment. 

Furthermore, the Chinese government is currently making a concerted effort to press for Tibet to be renamed ‘Xizang’, a Chinese term (meaning “the western treasure house”) that is widely rejected by Tibetans. UN experts recently stated that the escalation of Beijing’s policies of sinicization are contributing to the “assimilation and erosion of their [Tibetan] identity”. [16]

Despite the welcome and mounting pressure from G7 governments concerning Tibet, China’s response has been consistent: deny, deflect, and reject. Given all the evidence and knowledge about China’s flagrant disregard and systematic failure to meaningfully address the abuses in Tibet the situation now warrants more than just a mention in the G7 Foreign Ministers statement. We therefore call on you  to openly address the attack on Tibet with a robust joint statement of concern and:  

Echo the UN human rights experts’ recommendations and call on China to immediately abolish the coercive colonial boarding schools for Tibetan children and call on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to address the increased repression in Tibet, including raising concern about the residential boarding schools. Call for meaningful and unfettered access to Tibet for independent UN human rights monitors – no meaningful visit has been allowed in over 20 years. [17] Call for an end to China’s interference in the selection and installation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including any future reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, which must be determined solely by the Tibetan people, following international human rights law.  Call for the release of all Tibetan political prisoners, including Tsongon Tsering, Jampa Choephel, and Anya Sengdra, and urgently clarify the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his missing family members.  Press China to immediately stop all megadevelopment projects in occupied Tibet until Tibetans are given the right to free, prior, and informed consent to decide upon the future of projects.

Together your governments are uniquely positioned to exercise strong and direct influence on China’s leadership and we call on you to take this key multilateral opportunity to address the existential threats to Tibetans’ identity and culture.

Signed

Mandie Mckeown International Tibet Network Sherap Therchin Canada Tibet Committee Lhadon Tethong Tibet Action Institute Tenzin Zöchbauer Tibet Initiative Deutschland Tsering Dorjee Students for a Free Tibet- Japan Claudio Cardelli Associazione Italia-Tibet Tenzin Namgyal Students for a Free Tibet- France John Jones Free Tibet Kai Müller International Campaign for Tibet Eleanor Byrne-Rosengren Tibet Solidarity Pema Doma Students for a Free Tibet Dennis Cusack Tibet Justice Center On behalf of the following global Tibet-related organisations:

Aide aux Refugies Tibetains

Alaskans for Tibet

Amigos de Tibet, Colombia

Amigos de Tibet, La Unión Chile

Amigos del Tibet, El Salvador

Amigos del Tibet, Santiago de Chile

Anterrashtriya Bharat – Tibbet Sahyog Samiti

Asociación Cultural Peruano Tibetana/

Asociación Cultural Tibetano Costarricense

Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina

Association Drôme Ardèche-Tibet

Australia Tibet Council

Balijara Foundation – Maharashtra

Bay Area Friends of Tibet

Bharat Tibbat Sahyog Manch

Bharat Tibbat Samanvay Sangh

Bharat Tibet Sangh – India

Bharat Tibet Sangh – Jammu

Bharrat Tibbat Samvad Manch, India

Boston Tibet Network

Briancon05 Urgence Tibet

CADAL

Casa del Tibet – Spain

Casa Tibet México

Centro Cultural Columbo Tibetano

Centro De Cultura Tibetana, Brazil

Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de América Latina

Circle of Friends (Philippines)

Comite de Apoyo al Tibet (CAT)

Committee of 100 for Tibet

Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India

Czechs Support Tibet

Dream for Children, Japan

EcoTibet Ireland

Foundation for Universal Responsibility of H. H. the Dalai Lama

France-Tibet

Free Indo-Pacific Alliance

Free Tibet Fukuoka

Friends of Tibet Costa Rica 

Friends of Tibet in Bulgaria

Friends of Tibet in Finland

Friends of Tibet New Zealand

Ganasamannay Kolkata

Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, Portugal

Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet – Kinnaur

Human Rights Network for Tibet & Taiwan

India Tibet Friendship Society

India Tibet Friendship Society 

India Tibet Friendship Society – Bihar

India Tibet Friendship Society – Dashthrathpuni

India Tibet Friendship Society – Delhi

India Tibet Friendship Society – Muzaffarpur

International Tibet Independence Movement

Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People

Jal Kalyan Seva Samiti, Rajasthan

Japan Association of Monks for Tibet (Super Sangha)

Le Club Français, Paraguay

Les Amis du Tibet Luxembourg

Liberté au Tibet (Colmar, France)

Lions Des Neiges Mont Blanc, France

LUNGTA – Actief voor Tibet

Maison des Himalayas

Maison du Tibet – Tibet Info

National Campaign for Free Tibet Support, India

National Democratic Party of Tibet

Objectif Tibet

Passeport Tibetain

Phagma Drolma-Arya Tara

RangZen:Movimento Tibete Livre, Brasil

RBA Réseau Bouddhisme et Action, France

Roof of the World Foundation, Indonesia

Sakya Trinley Ling

Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet

Save Tibet, Austria

Sierra Friends of Tibet

Students for a Free Tibet – Austria 

Students for a Free Tibet – Belgium

Students for a Free Tibet – Taiwan

Students for a Free Tibet – Canada

Students for a Free Tibet – India

Students for a Free Tibet – UK

Swedish Tibet Committee

Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association (GSTF)

Taiwan Friends of Tibet

Tashi Delek Bordeaux

The Global Alliance for Tibet & Persecuted Minorities

The Norwegian Tibet Committee

The Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, Mongolia and Turkestan

Tibet Action Group of Western Australia

Tibet cesky (Tibet in Czech)

Tibet Committee of Fairbanks 

Tibet Friendship and Cooperation Society

Tibet Group, Panama

Tibet Lives, India

Tíbet Patria Libre, Uruguay

Tibet Rescue Initiative in Africa

Tibet Society of South Africa

Tibet Support Association Hungary

Tibet Support Committee Denmark

Tibet Support Group – Netherlands

Tibet Support Group Adelaide – Australia

Tibet Support Group Ireland

Tibet Support Group Kenya

Tibet Support Group Kiku, Japan

Tibet Support Group, Costa Rica

Tibetan Association of Germany

Tibetan Association of Ithaca

Tibetan Association of Northern California

Tibetan Association of Philadelphia

Tibetan Community Austria

Tibetan Community in Australia (Queensland)

Tibetan Community in Britain

Tibetan Community in Denmark

Tibetan Community in France

Tibetan Community in Ireland

Tibetan Community in Japan

Tibetan Community of Australia (Victoria)

Tibetan Community of Italy

Tibetan Community Sweden

Tibetan Cultural Association – Quebec

Tibetan Programme of The Other Space Foundation

Tibetan Women’s Association

Tibetan Youth Association in Europe

Tibetans of Mixed Heritage

Tibetisches Zentrum Hamburg

TIBETMichigan

TSG – Slovenia

U.S. Tibet Committee

V-TAG – United Kingdom

Voces de Tibet, México

NOTES:

GEOGRAPHICAL NOTE: ‘Tibet’ refers to the three Tibetan provinces of Amdo, Kham and U-Tsang. In the 1960s, the Chinese government split Tibet into new administrative divisions: the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR), and Tibetan Autonomous Prefectures within Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces. When the Chinese government references Tibet, it is referring to the TAR. The UN Joint Statement was presented by Australia on behalf of Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, Lithuania, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America – https://unny.mission.gov.au/unny/241022_UNGA79_Joint_statement_on_the_human_rights_situation_in_Xinjiang_and_Tibet.html Freedom House, 2023, Global Freedom Score, https://freedomhouse.org/country/tibet/freedom-world/2025   Tibet Action Institute, 2021, Separated From Their Families, Hidden From the World: China’s Vast System of Colonial Boarding Schools Inside Tibet, pg. 24, https://s7712.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2021_TAI_ColonialBoardingSchoolReport_Digital.pdf  United Nations, 2023, UN experts alarmed by separation of 1 million Tibetan Children from Families and forced assimilation at  residential schools, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/02/china-un-experts-alarmed-separation-1-million-tibetan-children-families-and  OHCHR, 2023, Mandates of the  Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; the Special Rapporteur on the right to development; the Special Rapporteur on minority issues; the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=27776=27776 OHCHR, 2023, Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and the Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28246  Ohchr, 2023, Mandates of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights; the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=28160  International Tibet Network, Tibet Briefing: Death, Torture and Ill-treatment in Chinese custody, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CvDGrY-JiazBBikFJVdVrLnqaos7AHz6/view  OHCHR, 2021, Mandates of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances; the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; the Special Rapporteur on minority issues; and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=26506  Institute for Security and Development Policy, ‘Balancing Development and Heritage Amid Climate Crisis in Tibet’, 21 January 2025 https://www.isdp.eu/balancing-development-and-heritage-amid-climate-crisis-in-tibet/ ‘A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds’, BBC News, December 2024 www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d37zg1549o ; ‘China to build world’s largest hydropower dam in Tibet’, BBC News, December 2024 www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmn127kmr4o  In February 2024, thousands of Tibetans in Tibet, took to the streets in a mass protest to  oppose the construction of a large hydropower dam – that would submerge several entire villages and displace thousands of Tibetans whose livelihoods have flourished alongside the river for many generations. This led to a major crackdown against peaceful protesters with Chinese police arresting hundreds of residents, including monks from local monasteries who had been protesting.Human Rights Watch, 2024, China: Free Detained Tibetan Demonstrators,  https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/02/28/china-free-detained-tibetan-demonstrators  In October 2024, Tsongon Tsering, a 29-year-old Tibetan environmental defender was imprisoned by Chinese authorities for exposing environmental destruction in his local area and speaking out against illegal mining activities causing severe damage to the local Tibetan ecosystem, pollution of nearby waterways, and huge risks to local homes and residents. His original sentence of eight months was extended by another eight months when he denied the charges against him in February 2025 https://tchrd.org/chinese-authorities-extend-tsongon-tserings-prison-term-for-defying-guilty-plea-pressure/  China: UN Experts Seek Clarification About Nine Imprisoned Tibetan Human Rights Defenders, OHCHR (August 10, 2023), https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/08/china-un-experts-seek-clarification-about-nine-imprisoned-tibetan-human  Newsweek, 2023, China is Slowly Erasing Tibet’s Name,  https://www.newsweek.com/china-changing-tibet-english-name-1843391   The last UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Tibet was Mary Robinson in 1998, after repeated failed requests by her successors. Since then, China permitted UN High Commissioner Louise Arbour to visit China in 2005 but she was subsequently denied a visit to Tibet in 2008. Despite assurances that High Commissioner Navi Pillay could visit the country at “a time convenient to both sides,” a visit was never facilitated. To date, there are at least 25 outstanding visit requests to China by UN experts, some outstanding for over 15 years. Since China’s last UPR, 12 Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups have sent reminder requests to the Chinese authorities to conduct fact-finding visits. This includes three new reminder sent by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, two by the Special Rapporteur on Torture# and two by the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Privacy. Despite China supporting a recommendation that it accept a visit from the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, this visit request has remained outstanding since 13 January 2003.