China detains at least three Tibetans for peaceful protest in Kardze, Tibet

  This morning at around 11:00 AM (Beijing Standard Time), at least three Tibetans were severely beaten and detained by the Chinese security forces for staging a peaceful protest in Kardze County, Kardze "Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture" ('TAP') Sichuan Province, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

According to sources, this morning at around 11:00 AM (BST), a peaceful protest was staged by a few Tibetan residents of Kardze County, at one of the road intersections at the Kardze county main market square, raising Pro-Tibet slogans and distributing pamphlets calling for "the swift return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet", "freedom in Tibet", "release of those arrested in recent protests" and "China quit Tibet" etc.

Shortly after their brief protest, at least three Tibetans were known to have been rounded up by the Kardze County Public Security Bureau (PSB) officials and savagely beaten, kicked and punched before being taken away to the county detention centre. The number of people having participated in this morning peaceful protest could not be ascertained, however, at least three protesters were confirmed severely beaten and detained by the PSB officials. The current condition of three detainees still remains unknown. The Centre will continue to monitor the situation and will update on the condition and the number of arrests or detained as and when more information surface from the area.

The three Tibetan detained were identified as Namsey Lhamo, a 30- year-old mother of two children and farmer from Raga Village, Dando Township, Kardze County, Tenzin Dargyal, a 32-years-old father of an infant and a farmer from Kardze County and another monk whose identity could not be ascertained at the moment.

TCHRD condemns in strongest terms the Chinese security forces' brutal use of force on the peaceful Tibetan demonstrators and calls upon the Chinese authorities to release three Tibetans who have been arrested and detained for exercising their fundamental human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Constitution and many other international covenants and treaties that she is party to. The authorities should ensure that detainees are not subjected to further ill treatment in the detention centre as they were subjected to in the broad daylight at the market square. The Centre deems the case as an outright clampdown on the freedom of opinion and expression in Tibet. Freedom of expression, opinion and assembly are fundamental human rights enshrined in the Chinese constitution and in UDHR.