President Hu Jintao
President of the People’s Republic of China
The State Council General Office
Yongneixijie
Beijingshi
CHINA

Dear President Hu:

I am deeply disappointed in events in Tibet over the last several months and urge your government to respect the free speech and cultural rights of the people there.

Specifically, I am concerned that Chinese authorities detained peaceful demonstrators in Tibet and used excessive force against them. Among the detainees were the following 15 Tibetan monks who were arrested on March 10, according to the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy:

Samten (m), aged 17, Lungkar Monastery, Qinghai Province

Trulku Tenpa Rigsang, (m), aged 26, Lungkar Monastery, Qinghai Province

Gelek Pel (m) aged 32 Lungkar Monastery, Qinghai Province

Lobsang (m) aged 15, Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Lobsang Thukjey (m), aged 19 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Tsultrim Palden (m), aged 20 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Lobsher (m), aged 20 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Phurden, (m), aged 22 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Thupdon (m), aged 24 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Lobsang Ngodup (m), aged 29 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Lodoe (m), aged 30 Onpo Monastery, Sichuan Province

Thupwang (m), aged 30, Darthang Monastery

Pema Garwang (m), aged 30, Darthang Monastery

Tsegyam (m), aged 22, Kashi Monastery

Soepa (m), aged 30, Mangye Monastery

On March 10, a group that included these 15 detained monks began a March from Sera Monastery towards Barkhor, Lhasa. Chinese authorities stopped their peaceful demonstration and arrested many protesters. The monks were detained solely for exercising their fundamental human right to freedom of expression, calling on the government to ease “patriotic re-education” campaigns which force them to denounce the Dalai Lama and subject them to government propaganda. There is no information of their current whereabouts or of any charges brought against them. They remain at high risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

I urge you to immediately release the 15 monks named above, as well as all others detained for peacefully exercising their right to freedom of expression, association and assembly. I call on you to fully account for all those detained during the demonstrations and to ensure that they are not tortured or otherwise ill-treated. Please ensure that the detainees have access to medical care and lawyers.

Sincerely,