The International Campaign for Tibet just released the 42nd edition of its Tibet Brief. The Tibet Brief is an ICT publication for policy-makers, providing concise information and perspectives on the political, economic and human rights situation in Tibet.
The International Campaign for Tibet condemns the illegal arrests of Tibetan and Belgian demonstrators by the Belgian police on April , 2014. Tibetans and Belgian supporters seeking to peacefully protest during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Bruges, Belgium were detained for hours, in one case partially strip-searched, and had Tibetan flags confiscated.
On Monday, 31 March activists will be gathering in Brussels for a demonstration demanding human rights in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The protest coincides with the meetings of Chinese president Xi Jinping with the European leaders Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso and Martin Schulz as well as with the King of the Belgians and members of the Belgian government during his first official visit to Europe.
The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) commissioned an opinion poll to the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first official visit to several European countries. The opinion poll showed that citizens in France and Germany give greater priority to their leaders raising Tibet and human rights with the Chinese leadership, than pushing for commercial contracts.
Chinese Party Secretary and President Xi Jinping arrives in Europe on March 22 for his first visit to Europe as China’s leader after assuming full power a year ago in March 2013. After attending the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague, President Xi will visit France and Germany and conclude his European tour in Belgium where he will meet with both EU leaders and Belgian authorities on March 31.
On March 20, 2014 the UN Human Rights Council adopted China’s Universal Periodic Review Working Group report amid Chinese attempts to silence NGOs’ criticism and protests. The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) joined a statement of the the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), which China tried to block.