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Tashi Wangchuk, a prominent advocate for Tibetan language rights, was held in detention for 15 days on accusations of "disrupting social order" and allegedly spreading false information online. He is now reportedly under tight surveillance.
Wangchuk's detention comes amid China's escalating efforts to suppress or even eliminate Tibetan and other ethnic languages and cultures, replacing them with Mandarin and Han Chinese traditions, as reported by Radio Free Asia. A release notice from the Yulshul (or Yushu in Chinese) City Detention Center, obtained by RFA, reveals that Wangchuk, 39, was arrested by the Internet Police Unit in Qinghai province on October 20. Following an investigation, he was held for 15 days in the Yulshul Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and was released on November 4. According to the report, the document, dated November 4, states that Wangchuk, a former political prisoner, was accused of sharing "false information" on social media since June. He was charged with "repeatedly insulting and mocking government departments" and "negatively affecting the online environment and public order" by allegedly misrepresenting and rejecting government policies. Despite his release, Wangchuk remains under intense surveillance. He continues to face frequent interrogations, according to a source familiar with his situation, who spoke to RFA on the condition of anonymity due to concerns of retaliation. The report further stated that a shopkeeper from the Yulshul township of Jyekundo, also known as Gyegu, mentioned that Wangchuk had been released in January 2021 after serving a five-year sentence for speaking with Western media about language restrictions. However, human rights organizations have continued to raise concerns about his health and safety due to the ongoing restrictions on his freedom. Maya Wang, the Associate China Director at Human Rights Watch in New York, stated that Wangchuk's case highlights the Chinese government's broader efforts at cultural assimilation. "Tibetans who have pushed back for Tibetan language rights, notably Tashi Wangchuk, and for their rights to express themselves, practice religion, and maintain their culture, have been imprisoned and harassed for doing so," Wang told RFA. "This is all part of the Chinese government's efforts to forcibly assimilate what they consider to be 'ethnic minorities' and subsume them into what [Chinese President] Xi [Jinping] considers to be a rising Han Chinese nation," she said. Wang pointed out that the Chinese government has systematically replaced Tibetan with Mandarin as the language of instruction in primary, middle, and secondary schools, except for Tibetan language classes, which are treated as foreign language courses. Although China asserts that it supports the rights of all minority groups to access "bilingual education," Tibetan-language schools have been shut down, and young children in kindergartens often receive instruction exclusively in Mandarin Chinese. Observers argue that these policies are designed to wipe out the next generation of Tibetan speakers and are part of a larger strategy by the government to erode Tibetan cultural identity. Similar measures are also being implemented against Mongolians in Inner Mongolia and Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Since 2015, Wangchuk has been campaigning against China's policies that threaten the Tibetan language, advocating for the protection of the language as outlined in the laws of the country's autonomous regions. (ANI)
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