Publications

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Racial Discrimination in Tibet (2000)

Discrimination in Public Representation

Article 5 (c) of ICERD states that State Parties should guarantee the right of everyone, without distinction as to race, colour, or national or ethnic origin, to enjoy.

"...political rights, in particular the rights to participate in elections - to vote and stand for election - on the basis of universal and equal suffrage, to take part in the government as well as in the conduct of public affairs at any level.

This right is also guaranteed under the Chinese Constitution and the Law on Regional National Autonomy:

[o]rgans of self-government are established for the exercise of autonomy and for people of ethnic minorities to become masters of their own areas and manage the internal affairs of their own regions.

However, these rights hold little sway on the way in which political power is actually distributed in Tibet, for each tier of administration is tightly connected to and monitored by the central Communist Party of China, who, as we have seen, continue to enforce discriminatory policies against the Tibetan people. The actual commitment made by China to listening to, or even allowing, Tibetan voices and opinions can be seen by the fact that the most senior political position in Tibet - the Party Secretary of the Regional CCP - has never been occupied by a Tibetan, even after 40 years of Communist rule. This distinctly suspicious lack of a strong indigenous leadership in Tibet, combined with the region's chronic dependence on subsidies from the central government, have led to a situation where the "TAR" still exercises less freedom than a normal province.