Today, on 1 October, the Chinese Communist Party celebrates the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Meanwhile, for Tibetans, today is nothing to celebrate. For us, a coalition of more than 145 Tibet organisations from around the world, today is a day to stand together in our opposition to the CCP, its occupation of Tibet, its systematic eradication of Tibet’s identity and way of life and its violence against the Tibetan people. So long as we have voices to speak, we will challenge Beijing’s propaganda about Tibet and tell the world the truth about China’s 76-year occupation and the human rights abuses that prop it up.

On 2 July of this year, Lobga Rangzen stood outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York with a Tibetan flag. He called for Tibet to be free and set himself alight. In this act of sacrifice, he expressed the frustration and the determination of Tibetans as their homeland remains under occupation and China’s forced assimilation policies harden and much of the world continues to look away. 

A day earlier, China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Law entered into force. It institutionalised policies that threaten Tibetans’ very identity as a people. Far from promoting unity, the law promotes the Han Chinese identity at the expense of the other groups living under Chinese rule. It eliminates the rights previously granted to Tibetans and other peoples considered “ethnic minorities” by the Chinese Communist Party and codifies Mandarin Chinese as the official language taught in schools. 

The law also makes ethnic issues a matter of national security. Article 63 of the law states that organisations and individuals outside the mainland of the People’s Republic of China can be prosecuted if they commit acts that “undermine ethnic unity and progress or create ethnic division.” Now every Tibetan around the world is at risk should they celebrate or defend their unique Tibetan identity.  

This statement comes barely a month after flash flooding on the Tibet-Nepal border killed over a thousand people with more still missing. This tragedy reminds us that Tibet, the roof of the world, is geologically unstable and at heightened risk as the global climate crisis intensifies. Nevertheless, Chinese companies tear this delicate landscape apart, with mega dams that flood villages and giant, polluting mines to extract precious minerals. Tibetans are given no say in these projects and protesters are met with violent force.

This disaster also reminds us that Tibet is cut off from the world and subject to some of the most extreme levels of censorship and surveillance on Earth. The Tibetan death toll from the flooding remains unknown, independent access to Tibet is blocked to journalists, rights organisations, relief agencies and diplomats. Information published online by Tibetans is censored.

All the while, Tibetans continue to be disappeared, tortured, or killed simply for speaking the truth, practicing their faith, or protecting their land. Despite these risks, monks, writers, singers, nomads, students, and countless other Tibetans continue to find ways to protect their culture and challenge China’s rule.

This 1 October, as the Chinese regime celebrates its power and represses dissent, we stand steadfastly with the Tibetan people in their courageous resistance.

We will not rest, we will not be silenced, and we will never stop fighting until Tibet is free.

Bod Gyalo! Free Tibet!