Tibetans protest worldwide as China tightens grip on Tibetan identity
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Originally published by CNBC-TV18 on March 10, 2026
Sixty-seven years after the 1959 Tibetan Uprising, Tibetans across the world continue to march, protest and speak out to keep their cause alive. But activists and rights advocates warn that global awareness of conditions inside Tibet remains limited, even as concerns grow over cultural erasure, language restrictions and tightening control under China.
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‘Profound threats’ with little awareness
Today, Tibet faces what some observers describe as “profound threats” from the Chinese government, with limited global awareness of the situation, according to long-time China analyst Sophie Richardson, co-executive director of Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD). She previously served as China director at Human Rights Watch.
“The first is Beijing’s efforts to erase a distinct Tibetan identity — whether that is essentially forbidding mother tongue medium education, meaning Tibetan medium education for young children, or the establishment of colonial boarding schools, all the way through to attempts to co-opt the succession process and transnational repression,” Richardson told CNBC-TV18.
She added that there is “a real surround-sound threat” to Tibetan activists, journalists and community members outside China.
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Richardson echoed a similar concern, saying global awareness of rights abuses in Tibet and other communities under Chinese rule — including Uyghurs, Southern Mongolians and ordinary Chinese citizens — remains limited.
“The Chinese government has worked very hard to make it difficult to document these violations, for people inside the country to report them outside, and the world is on fire with multiple competing crises,” she said.
She added that global attention remains crucial, noting that nearly one-seventh of the world’s population lives under China’s political system with limited avenues for legal redress.