Golog Jigme escapes Tibet, arrives in India
Golog Jigme, a monk who helped Dhondup Wangchen film the documentary Leaving Fear Behind, arrived safely in India earlier this week. His whereabouts had been unknown for two years following a series of arrests and harassment by the police for assisting Dhondup Wangchen. Golog Jigme had just recently been honored as one of Reporters Without Borders’ 100 Information Heroes, a group selected for having “put their ideals in the service of the common good.”
Jyekundo reconstruction: “The tragedy of the earthquake became an opportunity for the powerful and the greedy”
Jyekundo town today. (Gilles Sabrie for the New York Times)
A new report filed from Jyekundo (Yushu) by Andrew Jacobs of the New York Times has revealed systemic problems in how the town has been reconstructed following the horrific 2010 earthquake. While granite-faced government offices have been completed, hundreds of Tibetan monks and nuns are still living in disaster relief tents with no sign of further efforts to restore their homes. Jacobs explains that the reconstruction has “aggravated the animosities that have long bedeviled Han-Tibetan relations, favoring the well connected over the disenfranchised and fueling the systemic corruption that often plagues large infrastructure projects in China.” Please read the full report here. The page also feartures a two-minute video from the town that is worth a watch.
European Parliament candidates join ICT’s “2014 for Tibet” campaign
Forty one sitting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and 32 candidates have promised to stand for the rights and freedoms of the people of Tibet during the upcoming mandate. ICT EU policy director Vince Metten described the success of the “2014 for Tibet” campaign as a strong commitment and a clear indication that the next European Parliament continues to draw attention to ongoing human rights violations in Tibet. See the full ICT report here.
China sharply questioned on its treatment of Tibetan nomads by UN committee
Several members of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, while reviewing China’s compliance with a key international treaty, questioned the Chinese representative about how China has treated Tibetan and Mongolian nomads. Concern was expressed over the ability of nomads to exercise their right to land and the right to enjoy their cultural heritage. ICT made a statement to the Committee pointing out that relocation is a threat to the nomads’ ancient way of life and Tibetan identity resulting in the violation of their rights which can be read here.