sábado, 29 de marzo de 2008

Baby Seals


Each year, hundreds of thousands of infant harp seals are killed for their fur in the largest marine mammal slaughter on Earth. Over the last 3 years, 97% of the seals killed in the commercial hunt have been younger than 3 months. In 42% of the cases, the seals did not show enough post-mortem evidence to even guarantee unconsciousness at the time of skinning.

Do you want to do something? Go here

Myths about Canada’s Seal Hunt

Seal hunting is the commercial hunting of seals for their pelts, blubber, and meat. Currently, the seal hunt takes place in Canada, Norway, Greenland, Namibia, & Russia. The commercial season in Canada starts November 15 and lasts through May 15. However, most of the hunting takes place in late March and the first two weeks of April.

Question: Is it illegal to kill baby seals in Canada?
Answer: It is outlawed to kill a seal until it has had its first molt-- which usually means 10 days old or less. As such, 97 percent of the seals killed in the commercial seal hunt over the past three years have been younger than 3 months, and most were younger than 1 month old. Many of these pups had not yet eaten their first solid meal or taken their first swim. These are indeed baby seals.

Question: Is the seal hunt humane?
Answer: An independent veterinary panel performed post-mortems on seal carcasses abandoned on the ice floes in 2001. The report concluded that in 42 percent of cases, the seals did not show enough evidence of cranial injury to even guarantee unconsciousness at the time of skinning. For more information, see http://www.protectseals.org/.

Question: Will new bleeding regulations make the hunt more humane?
Answer: This year, the law has been changed to include a caveat that the arteries under each flipper must be severed prior to skinning. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare Senior Research, Sheryl Fink, the new regulations call only for "bleeding to be conducted at some point." "Now that I have seen the actual text of the new condition of licence, I'm left speechless by its inadequacy," Fink said. "The impaling of live and conscious seals on steel hooks and hoisting them onto boats is still permitted. I don't know anyone who would call that an improvement in humaneness."

Question: Is the seal hunt sustainable?
Answer: Over the past 10 years, between one-third and one-half of all seal pups have been slaughtered by commercial sealers. Because seals only reach breeding age at 6 years, the impacts of high hunting levels are only starting to be felt.

Question: Is the seal population "exploding," making a cull necessary?
Answer: In defending the commercial seal hunt, supporters often state that the harp seal population has 'tripled' over the past three decades. But they conveniently neglect to mention that over-hunting in the 1950s and 1960s had reduced the population by nearly two-thirds. A dramatic decline in hunting levels in the 1980s allowed the population to rebuild, but today's kill levels now meet and even exceed those of the 1950s and 1960s. Harp seals already have many natural predators, including sharks, whales and polar bears, and now the seals have a new threat to contend with -- climate change. As the ice cover the harp seals need to give birth and nurse their pups on rapidly begins to disappear, the population will face devastating rates of natural mortalities. Those advocating a cull of harp seals are ignoring sound science and common sense.

Question: Does the seal hunt provides important income to sealers and their families?
Answer: Sealers are commercial fishermen who earn a small fraction of their incomes from killing seals -- the rest comes from other sources such as crab, shrimp and lobster. Newfoundland's fishery has never been wealthier, earning nearly $200 million more annually than it did prior to the 1992 cod collapse. This economic growth is due to the expansion of the shellfish industry, which today accounts for 80 percent of the value of Newfoundland's fishery. Sealing, in contrast, brings in only 2 percent. Revenues from the hunt account for less than one-half of 1 percent of the province's economy.

Question: Do Canadians support a "humane" and "sustainable" seal hunt?
Answer: National public opinion polling consistently shows that the overwhelming majority of Canadians oppose the commercial seal hunt. A poll conducted by Environics Research in 2005 showed 69 percent of Canadians opposed to the seal hunt outright, and even higher percentages opposed to inherent aspects of the hunt, such as the killing of seal pups.

Question: How can I share Save Seals with my friends?
Answer: The more people play, the more animals we can feed. This is a forward you can feel good about! Find out the many ways you can share Save Seals.

Help us spread the word by:
Sharing on Facebook
Voting for us on Digg
Giving us a thumbs up on StumbleUpon
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Adding us on Del.icio.us
Resources:http://www.hsicanada.ca/seals/seal_myths_and_facts.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_hunting
All proceeds will be donated to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Experience Project Believes in Community-Driven ContributionExperience Project (EP) embraces the idea of an identity being multifaceted and dynamic. We believes each individual possesses their own uniqueness through their interests, beliefs, relationships, passions, and life experiences. EP provides the chance to explore and express that uniqueness. Often that comes in the form of conversation around causes and issues that matter to our members. Experience Project feels it is important to address and contribute to those social topics the community cares about and supports.

This Information comes from the Experience Project Web Page

viernes, 28 de marzo de 2008

Amnesty International.

31 de marzo, día internacional de movilización por el Tibet

Amig@s,
El pueblo tibetano salió protestar después de décadas de opresión, y la comunidad internacional respondió a su llamado. En una semana, más de un millón de personas hemos participado en la campaña de Avaaz apoyando los derechos humanos y el diálogo en el Tibet. Las autoridades chinas debaten como reaccionar a los eventos en el Tibet, y saben que el Mundo los observa. El próximo 31 de Marzo, se llevará cabo un día internacional de movilización por el Tibet y miembros de Avaaz entregarán nuestra masiva petición (cajas y cajas llenas de nuestras firmas) en consulados y embajadas chinas en varias capitales de Mundo. Nos quedan cuatro días para entregar la petición, y contamos con que ustedes nos ayuden para alcanzar los dos millones de firmas. Si cada uno de nosotros logra que al menos un amigo firme, lo lograremos.

Por favor, si no has firmado, hazlo ahora, y corre la voz entre tus amigos:http://www.avaaz.org/es/tibet_end_the_violence/79.php/?cl=68174527

Las voces más extremistas en el gobierno chino no quieren saber nada del Dalai Lama –pero muchos otros, más moderados, se han dado cuenta de que el diálogo con los líderes tibetanos es la única manera de obtener la paz y la estabilidad. Mandatarios en todo el Mundo se han unido al coro que pide diálogo en vez de más represión. China es más vulnerable que nunca a la opinión de la comunidad internacional así que debemos asegurar que nuestro mensaje sea claro y fuerte. Ya estamos viendo resultados, en los últimos días, discusiones con diplomáticos chinos nos hacen pensar que China está escuchando al Mundo. Al presidente Hu Jintao le importa la opinión de la comunidad internacional, sobretodo con los Juegos Olímpicos en camino y la importancia de las exportaciones para la economía china. No habíamos visto un mejor momento para obtener justicia en el Tibet en muchos años, aprovechémoslo, y demostremos nuestra solidaridad con dos millones de voces por el Tibet.

¡Nos quedan cuatro días, corramos la voz!

Con esperanza,
Ricken, Graziela, Ben, Iain, Pascal, Milena, Galit, Paul, Esra'a y todo el equipo de Avaaz.

PD – Para más información:Monjes de Lhasa arruinan a China su campaña de comunicación sobre TíbetPrimeros observadores extranjeros constatan huellas de violencia en la capital de TíbetIntelectuales chinos piden al Gobierno un "diálogo directo" con el Dalai Lama

Sobre Avaaz…Avaaz es una organización independiente y sinfines de lucro cuya misión es asegurar que los valores y opiniones de la mayoría de la gente sean tomados en cuenta en las políticas que nos gobiernan. ‘Avaaz’ significa ‘voz’ en varios idiomas asiáticos y europeos. Avaaz no acepta dinero de gobiernos ni de empresas y su equipo esta basado en oficinas en Londres, Nueva York, Washington, Ginebra, Paris y Rio de Janeiro.

jueves, 27 de marzo de 2008

New Press Release from HRW

UN: RIGHTS COUNCIL SHOULD ADDRESS TIBET CRISIS

(Geneva, March 26, 2008) -- The Human Rights Council should actively engage on serious human rights abuses wherever they occur, including the current crisis in Tibet, Human Rights Watch said today. In the council’s session yesterday, states and nongovernmental organizations raising the situation in Tibet were continually interrupted by China and other states, and discussion was eventually curtailed by procedural motions.“The council has not only the right, but the obligation to address the Tibet crisis,” said Juliette de Rivero, Geneva advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “It’s scandalous that the council ends up silencing those who are trying to make sure it does its job.” Australia, Slovenia (on behalf of the European Union), Switzerland and the United States raised human rights abuses in Tibet when the council was addressing follow-up and implementation of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. This declaration, adopted at the 1993 World Conference on Human Rights, recommitted states to fundamental human rights standards and laid out a framework for future efforts to realize those principles. China repeatedly objected to references regarding its actions in Tibet, arguing that discussions of a “country specific” situation were out of order. Algeria, Cuba, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe – all states where serious human rights violations persist – joined China in trying to block the debate. The council’s discussions deteriorated into procedural wrangling over whether discussion of a single human rights situation was appropriate given that the agenda topic was the Vienna Declaration. Ambassador Doru Costea of Romania, the HRC president, ultimately yielded, and agreed to restrict discussion by requiring that statements not address a single human rights situation. On March 10, 2008, hundreds of monks from Drepung monastery, five miles west of the Tibetan capital Lhasa, began peaceful protests calling for an end to religious restrictions and release of imprisoned monks. By the end of the week, protests had spread to Tibetan communities in neighboring Gansu, Qingh ai, and Sichuan provinces, and in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Dharamsala, India. Chinese authorities moved swiftly to expel foreign journalists and tourists from the region, and to only allow footage on national television of Tibetans attacking Han and Hui people. Human Rights Watch has condemned acts of violence committed by Tibetans, but has also expressed concern about harassment, arbitrary arrests, possible mistreatment in detention, and shootings of Tibetans in the wake of the protests. The flashpoint yesterday over Tibet exposed a deep-seated shortcoming within the council’s work to date. Some states have pressed for discussion of human rights “themes,” rather than particular instances of human rights abuse, and have in the extreme argued that no “country specific” situations should be addressed at the council. While thematic discussions on issues such as violence against women are important, those issues emerge in particular contexts, and limiting discussion to abstract principles saps thematic discussions of their value. States argued that discussion of human rights abuses in a particular country should be limited to the council’s agenda item on “human rights situations that require the council’s attention.” In practice, this would have meant relegating all discussion of specific situations to a half-day within the council’s four-week session. Human Rights Watch has repeatedly called upon the council to take up a broader range of urgent country situations demanding its attention. (See “Down to Business: The Human Rights Council’s Backlog of Work,” and “More Business Than Usual: The Work Which Awaits the Human Rights Council”). “The council should try to improve the lives of those facing abuses each day instead of squabbling about when to discuss those abuses,” de Rivero said.
Down to Business: The Human Rights Council’s Backlog of Work
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/09/10/global16829.htm
More Business Than Usual: The Work Which Awaits the Human Rights Council:
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/03/12/sudan15471.htm
To view Human Rights Watch’s statement on minority rights at the March 25 session of the UN Human Rights Council, please go to:http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/25/global18350.htm
For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on China and Tibet, please go to:http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=tibet
-----------Please help support the research that made this bulletin possible. In orderto protect our objectivity, Human Rights Watch does not accept funding fromany government. We depend entirely on the generosity of people like you.To make a contribution, please visit http://hrw.kintera.org/donate3

yael naim "new soul" clip

NEPAL:Police Threaten to Return Peaceful Tibetans Protesters to China

NEPAL: FEARS FOR SAFETY OF TIBETANS IN KATHMANDU

Police Threaten to Return Peaceful Tibetans Protesters to China
(New York, March 26, 2008) – The government of Nepal should end arbitrary detention, threats and harassment against peaceful Tibetan protesters, Human Rights Watch said today. Government forces are pre-emptively arresting Tibetans in Kathmandu as they attempt to move around the city on foot, in taxis, or on buses. The police have directly threatened several individuals in detention with deportation to China.“The threat of detention and deportation to China is being used by the government of Nepal to silence peaceful dissent,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Police have used excessive force to disperse some protesters and to arrest others, while beating some of those in detention.” On March 25, 73 protesters were arrested around 11 a.m. in front of the Chinese consulate in Kathmandu and were detained until around 9:45 p.m. the same evening. Three of the individuals detained received some medical treatment, but were returned to detention while in obvious need of further medical care. Most of those released, along with eight friends, boarded two buses to travel back to their homes in Boudha. Shortly before reaching their destination, the buses were stopped and two Nepal police officers boarded each bus. The buses then reached a roadblock manned by police in front of the Boudha police station, where the passengers were forcibly removed from the buses and beaten as they were dragged into the police station at around 10:15 p.m. One individual was reportedly told by the district superintendent of police that if the person were seen demonstrating again, deportation would follow. In separate incidents on March 25, Tibetans in the Swayambu area were stopped on the street by police and threatened with violence if they continue to protest. On March 24 alone, at least 461 people were detained, including 13 Nepali human rights defenders. The government has ignored calls from national and international human rights organizations, including the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to respect freedom of expression, assembly, and movement. “Kathmandu has been a sanctuary for Tibetans for decades,” said Adams. “These arbitrary arrests and intimidation tactics go against this tradition and sadly reflect the behavior of Chinese authorities across the border in Tibet.”

More on China and Tibet:http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=tibet-----------Please help support the research that made this bulletin possible. In orderto protect our objectivity, Human Rights Watch does not accept funding fromany government. We depend entirely on the generosity of people like you.To make a contribution, please visit http://hrw.kintera.org/donate3

martes, 25 de marzo de 2008

New about Tibet and the Olympic Games



Human Rights Watch Press Release:

CHINA: INVESTIGATE CRACKDOWN BEFORE TORCH RELAY’S PASSAGE THROUGH TIBET
Account for Missing and Dead; Reopen Lhasa to Media and Monitors(New York, March 24, 2008) – The Olympic torch, which was lit today in Olympia, Greece, should not go through Tibet unless the Chinese government agrees to an independent investigation into the recent unrest in Tibetan areas, Human Rights Watch said today.The Olympic torch is set to pass through the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, on June 20-21. Chinese government officials have confirmed their plans to continue despite the ongoing protests and crackdown across ethnic Tibetan areas. Since March 10, unprecedented demonstrations have taken place in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, at least three Chinese provinces, and Beijing. Chinese security forces have responded by dispersing the protests, in some cases violently. The Chinese government claims that 18 civilians and one policeman were killed, and a total of 623 people injured during the protests in Lhasa on March 12. Tibetan exile groups have reported that at least 80 people died during the protests.

The Chinese government has now admitted opening fire on demonstrators in Sichuan and shooting four people. Foreign journalists were expelled from these areas shortly after the demonstrations began, and lines of communication of have been cut or heavily restricted. “Either Tibet is open or it’s not. If it is, let independent monitors and the media go there. If it’s not, the torch shouldn’t go there either,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch. “The Olympic torch should not be turned into a smokescreen to cover up human rights abuses.” With a large but unknown number of Tibetans detained in Tibet and adjoining provinces in the aftermath of public protests, Human Rights Watch said Beijing Olympic officials’ resolve to run the Olympic torch through the region could exacerbate tensions, invite new protests, and provoke further repression. Human Rights Watch has called for the Chinese government to: - lift its lock-down of all Tibetan areas, including allowing full media access; - account for the missing and dead from this month’s protests; - publish the names of all individuals detained and their places of detention; and - give immediate access to independent monitors who can investigate whether detainees are being tortured or mistreated. Human Rights Watch said governments, the International Olympic Committee and Olympic sponsors of the torch relay should press China to reopen the region and allow an independent investigation, ideally headed by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, into recent events in Tibet. “The IOC and the sponsors of the torch relay – Coca-Cola, Samsung and Lenovo – should not associate themselves with a highly repressive situation where abuses are very likely, in violation both of the Olympic Charter and of the basic principles of corporate social responsibility,” said Richardson. “Acting responsibly is good publicity. Being morally blind is not.”

More on China and Tibet:http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=asia&c=china-----------


Please help support the research that made this bulletin possible. In orderto protect our objectivity, Human Rights Watch does not accept funding fromany government. We depend entirely on the generosity of people like you.To make a contribution, please visit http://hrw.kintera.org/donate3






Beijing's unofficial Olympic slogan
By Howard W. French

International Herald Tribune

Thursday, March 13, 2008
SHANGHAI: The official slogan of this summer's Beijing Olympics may be "One World, One Dream," but Beijing's real mantra has been something more prosaic, and in the end, much more problematic: no politics.

Over the coming months, China will offer the world an astounding spectacle. Not the Games themselves, but rather the spectacle of a nation that is in the midst of breathtaking change and yet clings to habits of statecraft so dated that they seem like relics of the Middle Ages.

In elevating the Olympics to an official source of national pride, China has put its most precious commodities on the line: national face. And by investing so much face in the successful execution of the Games, it is making extreme demands on its citizens and on the world.

The following list is not exhaustive, but it gives an idea of what is being demanded: Smile, approve of us, behave, do not criticize, don't dare protest and, back to the mantra, banish all thoughts of politics from your minds.

That's asking an awful lot, and like requiring someone to hold their body rigid for an extended period, it will demand an immense and painful effort, and it brings the risk of self-injury.

Consider the government's cascade of systematic denials of the pertinence of just about every critical issue that comes up, including human rights in Tibet, China's Muslim northwest and the rights of the tens of thousands of migrant workers whose round-the-clock work in Beijing has made the hosting of the Games possible. All too often, they are phrased in the antique wooden tongue of an old imperial court.

On the migrant issue, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, responded to a report by Human Rights Watch detailing exploitation of the workers with a verbal equivalent of the stiff arm: "I believe that everybody is well aware that Human Rights Watch has some problem with its sight. It is biased. It has some problems with its eyes. It has weakness in seeing things properly."

Read More here

viernes, 21 de marzo de 2008

TIBET


Avaaz necesita 1 millón de firmas!

Amig@s,

En menos de una semana ya hemos conseguido más de 400.000 firmas para la petición en apoyo al Dalai Lama, en un llamamiento al diálogo y a los derechos humanos en el Tíbet. Ésta es una respuesta sorprendente de la sociedad civil global, que demuestra nuestra solidaridad hacia el pueblo tibetano. Si cada uno de nosotros pide a otros cuatro amigos que firmen la petición, llegaremos a 1 millón esta misma semana. Reenvía ahora mismo el siguiente e-mail a tus amigos y familiares y explícales la importancia de esta campaña.

Amig@s,

Después de décadas de represión bajo el dominio chino, el pueblo tibetano finalmente ha mostrado su cara y su indignación, tomando las calles en protesta. Como sede de los Juegos Olímpicos, todas las miradas están puestas en China y ésta es la oportunidad que los tibetanos esperaban para llamar la atención del mundo y exigir un cambio. El Dalai Lama se ha pronunciado pidiendo cautela y diálogo, y en respuesta ha sido repudiado por el gobierno chino. Sin embargo, nos han informado que muchos oficiales chinos creen que el diálogo es la única esperanza para estabilizar al Tíbet. El futuro del Tíbet se está definiendo ahora mismo, mientras los líderes chinos deciden si aumentan la brutal represión o si se abren al diálogo. Y nosotros podemos afectar este momento histórico. Firma hoy y corre la voz, el tiempo apremia.

http://www.avaaz.org/es/tibet_end_the_violence/29.php

La economía china depende de las exportaciones, y el gobierno ha etiquetado los Juegos Olímpicos come “El comienzo de una nueva China,” potencia mundial y líder respetado en el escena internacional. Pero China es un país diverso, con un pasado brutal, y su estabilidad futura dependerá en parte en como maneje las secuelas de ese pasado. Hu Jintao debe entender que la amenaza más grande a la prosperidad y estabilidad en China, no son los manifestantes en Tibet, sino los sectores mas extremistas del partido comunista chino que defienden la represión violenta de toda disidencia . Entregaremos la petición a oficiales chinos en Nueva York, Londres y Pekín, pero para que tenga efecto, tiene que ser masiva. Por favor, haz tu parte corriendo la voz entre tus amigos y familia, y explícales lo importante que es esta causa, es así como crecen estas iniciativas.

Con esperanza,

Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben y todo el equipo de Avaaz

PD Para Saber más:http://actualidad.terra.es/nacional/articulo/fuerzas_lhasa_seguridad_chinas_detienen_2331109.htmhttp://actualidad.terra.es/internacional/articulo/tibet_premier_chino_confirma_permanecera_2331256.htmhttp://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?chid=3&cid=1469788&schid=303&secid=305--------------------------------------------

Sobre Avaaz…Avaaz es una organización independiente y sinfines de lucro cuya misión es asegurar que los valores y opiniones de la mayoría de la gente sean tomados en cuenta en las políticas que nos gobiernan. ‘Avaaz’ significa ‘voz’ en varios idiomas asiáticos y europeos. Avaaz no acepta dinero de gobiernos ni de empresas y su equipo esta basado en oficinas en Londres, Nueva York, Washington, Ginebra, Paris y Rio de Janeiro.

Human Rights Watch press release


China: Tibetan Detainees at Serious Risk of Torture and Mistreatment
Allow Independent Monitors Access to Detention Facilities
(New York, March 19, 2008) – The Chinese government should immediately permit independent monitors to have access to the large number of Tibetans detained in Tibet and adjoining provinces in the aftermath of public protests.Read more

China: Trial of Leading Activist a Sham
Tightening Chokehold on Dissent Ahead of the Olympics
(New York, March 17, 2008) – The Chinese government has repeatedly violated the rights of prominent human rights activist Hu Jia and his trial cannot meet minimum standards of fairness, Human Rights Watch said today. Read more

China: Restrain Forces From Violently Attacking Protesters in Tibet
The city is now reported to be under curfew and there is a heavy presence of security forces on the streets
(New York, March 15, 2008) – Chinese security forces should stop violent attacks on protesters in Tibet and allow the United Nations to conduct an independent probe into alleged abuses, Human Rights Watch said today.Read more

NEPAL: END ATTACKS, ARBITRARY ARRESTS, AND HARASSMENT OF TIBETANS

Nepali Government Should Stop Doing Beijing’s Bidding

(New York, March 20, 2008) – The government of Nepal should cease arbitrary arrests and detentions, harassment, and the use of excessive force to silence Tibetan protesters, activists and journalists, Human Rights Watch said today. Nepal’s government, which came to power after protests against the rule of King Gyanendra, should reaffirm its commitment to freedom of assembly, association, and expression.Nepal, which borders Tibet and is home to large numbers of Tibetan exiles and asylum seekers, has seen protests since March 10, “Tibetan National Uprising Day,” the anniversary of the Tibetan rebellion against Beijing’s rule in Tibet in 1959. Protests in Kathmandu have mounted in reaction to the violent suppression of protests in Tibet and neighboring provinces in China by the Chinese government. “The police are violently dispersing peaceful Tibetan protestors in Nepal’s capital and arbitrarily detaining increasing numbers,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “How can a government that came to power on a wave of public protests against an authoritarian regime justify crushing peaceful protests by Tibetans?” When questioned about the reason for arrests of protesters, a district superintendent of police informed Human Rights Watch that it is government policy that there cannot be protests against China in Nepal.

Police Brutality

Human Rights Watch has witnessed the excessive use of force by the Nepal Police and the Armed Police Force against peaceful Tibetan protesters on March 10, 14, 15, 17, 18 and 19. Nepal Police and Armed Police have charged crowds with lathis (heavy sticks) and used tear gas as well as hitting, kicking and dragging to disperse protesters and to make arrests. Several protesters have been injured as a result, including head injuries from beatings with lathis. Human Rights Watch is extremely concerned about ill-treatment of Tibetan detainees at Boudha Police Station. On March 10, the 14 individuals detained were kicked, punched, slapped and verbally abused for approximately 15-20 minutes. Their names were registered and they were threatened that they would be deported to China, where Human Rights Watch believes they could expect to be imprisoned and possibly tortured. On the evening of March 14, police beat three detainees at Boudha Police Station continuously for approximately one hour. Police hit them with such force that the lathis used to assault them snapped. Human Rights Watch observed the three were visibly injured as they left the police station and were taken to hospital by friends. During attempted arrests at the same demonstration, one man was beaten on the head with a lathi, forcing him to fall to the ground where he was then beaten so hard by three police officers that he now has serious fractures in the bones of both feet. Protesters reported that the police were shouting “we have to hit them” as they chased the protesters. Human Rights Watch urged the Nepali government to ensure that members of the police and armed police do not use force against peaceful protestors. “Nepal’s security forces must understand that they can be held criminally accountable for physical violence against Tibetans,” said Adams.

Arbitrary Arrests

Human Rights Watch said that while in many cases the Nepali authorities have allowed peaceful protests, at other times it has arbitrarily arrested protesters. For example, on March 10, more than 150 Tibetans were detained after a peaceful protest in Boudha for around seven hours at three separate police stations. On March 14, three individuals were detained and released after approximately two hours at Boudha Police Station after another peaceful protest. On March 15, 12 protesters were detained for approximately three hours at Jawalakel Police Station after a demonstration at the United Nations complex. On March 17, 49 demonstrators,
including two with injuries, were detained at the Mahendra PoliceClub for approximately eight hours after demonstrating at
the UN complex. On March 18, 58 people were arrested again
at the UN complex; 54 were taken to the Mahendra Police
Club, where they were held for approximately seven hours, and
four were held at Jawalakel Police Station. On
March 19, 21 people were arrested at a demonstration at the
UN complex at around noon, detained at Jawalakel Police
Station and released six hours later.
A particular case of concern is the March 18 arrests by
police of Tenzin Jamphel (Thupten) and Gyalbo Lama Tamang, a
Tibetan and a Nepali monk respectively, at 9:30 a.m. from
Sarswati monastery. They were questioned at the Swayambu Ward
Police for one hour, then taken to the Naxal police
headquarters, where they were questioned for 30 minutes. Finally,
they were taken to the office of the Kathmandu chief district officer and held there until 2 p.m. Both were forced to sign a document saying they would not participate in further protests. The Tibetan monk was threatened to be sent back to China if he participated in further protests and told that he had been added to the list of “wanted people.”

Human Rights Watch is concerned about reports that the Kathmandu chief district officer has prepared a list of 11 Tibetan leaders to be arrested simply for being political opponents of the Chinese government. “The threat of detention and deportation to China is being used to silence peaceful dissent in Nepal,” said Adams. “Arbitrary arrests of Tibetans should cease immediately.”

Attacks on Journalists

Human Rights Watch also expressed concern about attacks on journalists attempting to report on the Tibetan protests and developments along Nepal’s border with China. On March 16, a Nepali press photographer working with a foreign journalist was stopped 200 meters inside the Nepal border by 10 Chinese police who took him to an official building, and, in the presence of Nepali police, searched his bag and erased his photos. On March 17, a foreign journalist who was attempting to photograph arrests of protesters was punched in the face by a Nepali police officer. Journalists are also reporting a significant increase in the number of Chinese security officials along the border and plainclothes Chinese officials operating on the Nepali side of the border. Asylum in Nepal As many Tibetans seek to escape the crackdown in Tibet and make their way to safety in Nepal, Human Rights Watch reminded Nepal of its international obligations to allow those at risk of persecution to seek asylum in Nepal. Many Tibetans who arrived in Nepal before December 31, 1989 are officially regarded as refugees. But the Nepali government has refused to register Tibetan asylum seekers arriving after that time as refugees. As a result, new arrivals are at risk of summary repatriation and encounter great difficulty integrating into Nepali society and accessing education, health care, and employment. It is also impossible for them to leave the country unless granted an exit permit. In January 2005, under pressure from the Chinese government, the Nepali government closed the Office of the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In 2007, it took the unprecedented step of deregistering the Bhota Welfare Office, a local organization assisting Tibetans living in Nepal. “Now is the time for the Nepali government to protect Tibetans – not to do the bidding of Beijing,” said Adams.

Related Material:

China: Tibetan Detainees at Serious Risk of Torture and Mistreatment"http://hrw.org/english/docs/2008/03/18/china18310.htm

More of Human Rights Watch's work on China and Tibet:http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=asia&c=china

More of Human Rights Watch's work on Nepal:http://hrw.org/doc?t=asia&c=nepal-----------

Please help support the research that made this bulletin possible. In orderto protect our objectivity, Human Rights Watch does not accept funding fromany government. We depend entirely on the generosity of people like you.To make a contribution, please visit http://hrw.kintera.org/donate3

*This page and the cause that it supports does not belong either to HRW or to Avaaz, it supports some of their causes.

Some References of the Tibet unrest

(from Wikipedia)

^ "Q&A: China and Tibet", BBC, 2008-03-17. Retrieved on 2008-03-20.
^ a b c d "Deaths reported in Tibet protests", BBC News, 15 March 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
^ "HK journalists thrown out of Tibet", The Standard, 18 March 2008. Retrieved on 2008-03-19.
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