China Arrests Four Women for Participating in Peaceful Protests

Fleur Harmsen

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

Chinese police arrested four Tibetan women for participating in peaceful anti-lockdown protests across China. The four women, Zamkar, Dechen, Kalsang Dolma and Delha are students, working in a hotel in the Jinniu district just before they got arrested (Lhamo, 2022). All hotels in Chengdu and other cities in China and across the Tibetan plateau have been closed due to the “zero-covid” policy restrictions (Dolma, 2022).

The arrest of the four women violates international human rights law. The right to participate in protests is a human right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 27 of the UDHR states that all individuals have the right to engage and participate in the cultural life of their community in the way they desire. Article 18 of that same declaration writes that all individuals have the right to freedom of expression and thought. Article 19 strengthens that right by expressing that State authorities shall not interfere with this freedom of expression through government action. 

Similarly, Article 1 of the ICESCR reiterates that individuals have the right to pursue their social and cultural development freely. In this regard, this article underlines that the means and expression of such development are left to the choice of the individual in question and the pursuit therefore shall be enjoyed without government interference. These rights shall be enjoyed by all individuals under the jurisdiction of the State that has ratified this convention, regardless of of religion, political affiliation or other opinions language, sex and other cultural affiliation. The latter is safeguarded under article 2(2) of the same Covenant. 

Similarly, Article 15(1a)(2) of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) writest that all individuals have the right to take part in the cultural life of their community and that the State must take the necessary steps in order to allow the full realization of that right. In this regard, the State has to take on an active role to ensure that all individuals have the freedom and means to participate in the cultural life of their community in the way they please.

In this regard, Zamkar, Dechen, Kalsang Dolma and Delha’s incarceration for participating in protest violates the women’s right to freedom of expression, and participation in cultural life of the community

Sources and further reading:

Dolma, Y. (2022, December 7). China arrested four Tibetan women for allegedly protesting against restrictions of "zero-covid policy”. The Tibet Post. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from  https://www.thetibetpost.com/en/news/132-tibet/7473-china-arrested-four-tibetan-women-for-allegedly-protesting-against-restrictions-of-zero-covid-policy 

Lhamo, C. (2022, December 9). China arrests four Tibetan women in the wake of lockdown protests. Phayul Newsdesk. Retrieved December 12, 2022, from  https://www.phayul.com/2022/12/09/47779/