Another arrest for possessing photos of the Dalai Lama

08.09.2022

Fleur Harmsen

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

  Another Tibetan man has been arrested for possessing photos of the Dalai Lama on the 12th of August 2022 in the Tibetan Region of Nagchu. Karma Samdup, the man who was arrested was found to have photos of the Dalai Lama in his car and in his amulet pendant that he wore around his neck. Information about Karma Samdup’s whereabouts remains unavailable.  However, such an arrest goes against international human rights law.

Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) writes that all individuals are free from arbitrary detention.

Article 12 of the UDHR stipulates that no individual will interfere with the privacy and home of any individual. The State can therefore not interfere with the private lives of those under its jurisdiction. 

Article 1 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) states that all peoples have the right to freely pursue their social and cultural development. In this regard, all individuals can express and engage with their faith and cultural heritage in the way they see fit. 

China, through its treatment of Karma Samdup is seen to violate article 9 of the UDHR as it arbitrarily detained Karam Samdup for celebrating and engaging with his faith, a right safeguarded in international human rights law. Article 12 is also seen to be violated as the State directly interferes with Karma Samdup’s privacy through analyzing his belongings within his car and the ones that he wears. 

China’s detention of Karma Samdup for possessing photographs of the Dalai Lama is seen to be in direct violation of article 12 of the UDHR as it interferes with the right to privacy. The direct interference with an individual’s possession of spiritual belongings within one's car or pendants  infringes upon the State’s safeguarding duties of the right to privacy.

Article 1 of the ICESCR is seen to be violated as China disallows and detains Karma Samdup for the way in which he chooses to express his celebration of his faith. 

Sources and further reading:

Kunchok. S.  (2022, August 25). Chinese authorities arrest Tibetan man for having a photo of the Dalai Lama. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from  https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/karma_samdup-08252022171832.html

Tibet Watch.  (2022, August 26). Another Tibetan arrested for possessing photos of the Dalai Lama. Retrieved September 8, 2022, from  https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/karma_samdup-08252022171832.html