Expert Witness for Tibet: Asylum & Immigration Reports

The Chinese government has imposed comprehensive restrictions on Tibetan Buddhist practice, including banning images of the Dalai Lama, controlling monastery enrollment, requiring “patriotic education” sessions, and demolishing large religious communities such as Larung Gar and Yachen Gar. Specifically, monks and nuns face surveillance, arbitrary detention, and expulsion from monasteries for expressing religious devotion deemed politically sensitive. Furthermore, the selection of reincarnate lamas has been brought under state control, directly undermining core Tibetan Buddhist traditions. Our expert witness for Tibet documents how these restrictions constitute religious persecution as defined under international law.

China’s policies systematically undermine Tibetan cultural identity through mandatory Mandarin-language education that displaces Tibetan language instruction, the destruction of traditional Tibetan architecture and religious sites, and the forced boarding school system that separates Tibetan children from their families and culture. Notably, hundreds of thousands of Tibetan children have been placed in state-run boarding schools designed to assimilate them into Chinese culture. Our expert witness for Tibet explains how these policies constitute cultural genocide aimed at eliminating distinct Tibetan identity.

Tibetans who express political dissent, advocate for independence or genuine autonomy, or simply display loyalty to the Dalai Lama face imprisonment, torture, and prolonged detention. Political prisoners face severe conditions including solitary confinement, denial of medical treatment, and forced confessions. Additionally, released political prisoners face continued surveillance, travel restrictions, and employment discrimination that amounts to ongoing persecution. Our reports document how political expression of Tibetan identity is criminalised under Chinese national security legislation.

Tibet is subject to one of the most intensive surveillance regimes in the world, with extensive CCTV networks, checkpoint systems, mandatory phone monitoring apps, and neighbourhood surveillance committees. Specifically, Tibetans face severe restrictions on internal movement, requiring multiple permits for travel between prefectures. Furthermore, access to Tibet for international journalists and human rights monitors is effectively prohibited. Our expert witness for Tibet documents how the surveillance infrastructure eliminates any possibility of internal relocation as a protection option.

Over 150 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009 in protest against Chinese rule, representing an unprecedented expression of desperation at the severity of repression. The Chinese government has responded by criminalising those who share information about self-immolations and by collectively punishing communities where self-immolations occur. Family members and associates of self-immolators face detention and criminal charges. Our expert witness for Tibet explains how the self-immolation phenomenon reflects the extreme severity of the persecution environment and creates additional risk categories for associated individuals.

The Chinese government actively monitors and targets the Tibetan exile community worldwide through intelligence operations, digital surveillance, and pressure on family members inside Tibet. Specifically, exile Tibetans who participate in political activities, attend protests, or maintain connections with the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala face retaliation against their relatives in Tibet. Furthermore, Chinese intelligence operatives have been documented infiltrating exile communities to identify activists. Our expert witness for Tibet documents how transnational repression creates ongoing risk for diaspora Tibetans.