Dharamshala: Though there are many footages of the protests taking place throughout Tibet last year that were splashed across the world, the following are one of the rare footages of police beating of protesters, the suffering and death of a captive, and Para-military presence in Lhasa, which managed to make its way to the outside world.
According to the information received by the Central Tibetan Administration, as of 31 January 2009, partly as a result of such beatings, about 220 Tibetans died and over 1,294 were seriously injured. Over 5,600 were arrested, 290 sentenced and more than 1,000 have simply disappeared.
In the past, one of the most powerful and stunningly painful footages to come out of Tibet that recorded Chinese police treatment of the protesters was the 1988 beating of the monks at the Jokhang temple. These footages now shown around the world are the first images that documented the brutality of the Chinese police.
China has repeatedly denied the use of torture in Tibet. Even after last March’s widespread protests and the crackdown that followed, Chinese authorities in Tibet resorted to brutal beatings and torture of the captive Tibetans.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry had rejected the U.N. panel’s report on the widespread use of torture by Chinese police, calling the report as “untrue and slanderous” in November 2008 and accusing the committee members as “prejudiced” against China.
However, the following footages testify to what is truly happening in Tibet as recently as 2008.
This is one of the rare footages of Chinese police beating Tibetans who participated in the massive and widespread protests that erupted throughout Tibet since 10 March 2008. We are told that these beating of protestors took place in or near Lhasa after 14 March 2008. The footage clearly shows the beating of Tibetan captives even after they are handcuffed and tied, a violation of international norms regarding treatment of captives.
The second footage is about a young Tibetan, Tendar, a staff in the China Mobile company who was brutally beaten and later suffered inhumane treatment at the hands of Chinese authorities. Tendar was simply trying to stop some Chinese police officials from beating a lone monk on March 14, 2008 when he was on his way to his office.
He was fired at, burned with cigarettes butts, pierced with a nail in his right foot, and severely beaten with an electric baton. The wounds and the bruise marks visible on his body is a testimony of the brutality he was subjected to by the Chinese authorities.
The doctors and the nurses were terribly stunned upon seeing the rotten wounds and bruises on his body when he was shifted to the TAR People’s Hospital, which shows he was even denied basic medical care at the military hospital.
Due to covering his wounds with polythene, his wounds began to rot as clearly seen from the footage.
TAR People’s Hospital had to remove about 2.5 kgs of his body part in order to clean out the decay. Every effort was undertaken by his family in meeting huge expenses, but for his recovery, but failed to bring improvement.
He died due to his injuries on June 19, 2008. When his corpse was offered to the vultures according to the tradition, a nail was found in his right foot.
Third footage shows the heavy Para-military presence in Lhasa in the run up to the 50th Anniversary of March 10 Tibetan National Uprising.
Lhasa and all other areas of Tibet still remain under virtual martial law.