UN Experts Demand Details About Tibetan Activists Imprisoned in China – News18

China faces mounting scrutiny over human rights issues as UN-appointed independent rights experts insist on transparency regarding nine Tibetan environmental defenders, who are currently serving prison terms of up to 11 years. Between 2010 and 2019, nine Tibetan human rights defenders were imprisoned in the course of their peaceful work to protect the area’s fragile environment.

“The lack of information provided by Chinese authorities could be seen as a deliberate attempt to make the world forget about these human rights defenders as they spend year after year in isolation,” the UN experts said in a statement, released by United Nations Human Rights Office on Thursday. “Their families have been kept in the dark about their fate,” they said.

According to the UN experts, the imprisoned environmental human rights defenders – Anya Sengdra, Dorjee Daktal, Kelsang Choklang, Dhongye, Rinchen Namdol, Tsultrim Gonpo, Jangchup Ngodup, Sogru Abhu and Namesy – were arrested after they protested against illegal mining activities at the sacred mountains and exposed the hunting of endangered species in Qinghai Province, Sichuan Province and the Tibetan Autonomous Province.

“There is very little information available about the circumstances of their detention, trial and sentencing, but with cases where we do have sufficient information, we know these activists were sentenced to between seven and 11 years in prison,” experts said.

Sounding an alarm, the UN experts said said it was unclear how many of the human rights defenders had received access to legal counsel during their detention or whether any have access to medical care in prison.

According to the UN experts, the length of sentences handed down in six of the cases – namely against Dhongye, Rinchen Namdol, Tsultrim Gonpo, Jangchup Ngodup, Sogru Abhu and Namsey – have not been made public by the Chinese government. It remains unclear where the activists are being held and in what conditions they are serving their sentences.

“We urge the Chinese government to provide details on why and where they are being held and their health conditions, provide them with adequate medical care and permit their families access to visit them,” the experts said.

“If China is committed to tackle the impacts of climate change, it should refrain from persecuting environmental human rights defenders and release all nine immediately,” the experts said.