Driru County, located in Nagchu Prefecture in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), remains one of the most tightly controlled areas in Tibet, with reports of widespread restrictions on religious practice, movement, and communication. Human rights groups and Tibetan exile sources say the county has become a testing ground for Beijing’s hardline policies aimed at erasing Tibetan identity and enforcing absolute loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Since the 2013 protests in Driru—when thousands of residents refused to fly the Chinese flag and expressed loyalty to the Dalai Lama—the county has faced extreme surveillance and punitive measures. Following those incidents, Chinese authorities launched sweeping arrests, closed monasteries, and deployed additional security forces. The county remains under a de facto state of emergency, with checkpoints, surveillance cameras, and “re-education” campaigns dominating daily life.
A Tibetan exile source familiar with the region stated, “Driru has been turned into a warning to other Tibetan regions. What’s happening there is not ordinary governance—it’s psychological warfare.”
Monasteries in Driru remain under strict surveillance. Monks are required to undergo political indoctrination, and any reference to the Dalai Lama is criminalized. In recent years, Chinese officials have introduced CCP-approved religious texts, banned private religious gatherings, and mandated that portraits of Xi Jinping replace traditional religious images in public spaces.
Several sources report that mobile phone use in Driru is heavily monitored. Residents who communicate with contacts outside China or express dissenting views are often detained without trial. Families of those accused of “separatist activity” face collective punishment, including loss of government benefits and housing.
In 2024, the Chinese government expanded its boarding school program in the region. Tibetan children as young as four are being separated from their families and placed into Mandarin-only institutions. Critics argue that the program is designed to assimilate Tibetan children into Han Chinese culture and language, stripping them of their Tibetan identity.
“The situation in Driru represents a systematic attempt to erase Tibetan culture and force assimilation under the guise of modernization,” said a spokesperson for the International Campaign for Tibet.
Despite the clampdown, some reports of resistance continue to emerge. Anonymous sources have described quiet acts of defiance, such as secret teachings by elders, preservation of sacred texts, and refusal to participate in state-led religious programs. However, these efforts come at enormous personal risk.
Chinese authorities maintain that their policies in Driru are part of a broader effort to maintain stability, combat “separatism,” and promote economic development. State media claim that life in Driru has improved under Beijing’s governance, citing new infrastructure, schools, and health clinics.
Independent verification of conditions in Driru remains nearly impossible. Foreign journalists and researchers are barred from the region, and internal travel is tightly restricted even for Chinese citizens.
Tibetan rights groups continue to call for international attention on Driru County, warning that the policies tested there could be replicated in other Tibetan areas and among other minority populations across China.
