Authorities destroy Buddhist religious sites in Tibetan autonomous areas, Free Tibet claims. Operations reminiscent of the Maoist repressions of 1966-1976. Those who protest against the demolitions are detained and tortured. Tibetans speak of “cultural genocide.” Discrimination also in the field of health in the fight against Covid-19.
Beijing () – Religious sites destroyed and Protestants persecuted in what appears to be a “second” Cultural Revolution. This is the complaint made to Free Tibet by residents of Drago county in Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Sichuan).
The new wave of crackdown by the authorities against elements of the local Buddhist culture was triggered in October 2021, the humanitarian organization claims based on direct testimonies, open sources, local media reports and satellite images.
Among the various sacred structures destroyed at Drago are three huge Buddha statues. According to Free Tibet, in the period under review (until June 2022), 10 Tibetans in the county were detained, beaten and tortured by police for opposing the demolitions.
The detainees are taken to a new extrajudicial center to undergo “political re-education” sessions.
Radio Free Asia reported yesterday that security forces detained a 30-year-old Tibetan writer in August on charges of contacting exiles abroad. In the ongoing crackdown, authorities often target Tibetan cultural figures most aware of attacks on personal and religious freedom in historic Tibet.
The Chinese regime is accused of wanting to erase Tibetan culture and identity. In the autonomous region of Tibet and in the other areas inhabited by Tibetans in the provinces of Gansu, Sichuan, Qinghai and Yunnan, what the Dalai Lama defines as a “cultural genocide” is taking place.
During the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the Maoist persecutions caused close to two million deaths. Among the victims were many Tibetans, not to mention the destruction of their holy places.
Discrimination against Tibetans extends to the field of health in the fight against Covid-19. According to the International Campaign for Tibet, the high number of elderly Tibetans who have died from the virus is also due to their being excluded from the third vaccination dose in early 2022.
In October, a month before the demonstrations that led to the suspension of Xi Jinping’s Zero-Covid policy, Tibetans had taken to the streets of Lahsa to protest against the strict health restrictions imposed by the central government, which were characterized due to continuous confinements and massive swabs. They were the first demonstrations since the 2008 revolt, repressed at the cost of blood and deaths.
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