September 9, 2025 marks 60 years since China formally established the so-called “Tibet Autonomous Region” (TAR), which covers only about half of Tibet. Chinese state media celebrates, but Tibetans have little to rejoice about.
Broken Promises
Upon invasion and occupation, the PRC promised autonomy, religious freedom, language development, and non-interference—promises immediately broken after the Dalai Lama’s 1959 exile.
Chinese Control of Leadership
No Tibetan has ever served as TAR Party Secretary; all have been Chinese, including rights abusers like Chen Quanguo and corrupt officials like Wu Yingjie.
Systematic Suppression
– Destruction of Tibetan Buddhism during the Cultural Revolution.
– Ongoing harsh restrictions on religion.
– Forced relocation of nomads.
– Mandarin replacing Tibetan in education and official use.
– Boarding schools indoctrinating children in Chinese language and culture.
– Exploitation of natural resources causing environmental and cultural harm.
International Condemnation
– Freedom House rates Tibet 0/100.
– UN, EU, and U.S. State Department regularly criticize China’s human rights abuses in Tibet.
Political Prisoners
The 11th Panchen Lama, one of the world’s longest-held political prisoners, was abducted from the TAR.
No Tibetan Consent
Tibetans did not choose exile of the Dalai Lama, disappearance of the Panchen Lama, destruction of monasteries, erosion of language, or corrupt Chinese leadership.
Call for Genuine Autonomy
ICT urges China to embrace the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way Approach for real autonomy as the only way to repair relations with the Tibetan people.
