China stops Tibetan monks and writers from spreading religious content online

China has been strictly banning Tibetan writers, Buddhist monks and other influential people from spreading religious content online without prior approval, sources told Radio Free Asia.

The crackdown, based on a March 2022 regulation, gives authorities additional power to restrict online content the ruling Communist Party deems harmful and is yet another example of China increasing restrictions on expression, religion and culture in the Western Tibet Autonomous Region.

“When the Chinese government began to implement the law, Tibetan writers and those who are influential have been subject to particular scrutiny and targeting,” said a Tibetan from inside Tibet who declined to be named for security reasons.

“These sections of the people are completely prohibited from sharing or talking about Buddhism or anything educational without asking the Chinese government for permission,” he said. “They are not even allowed to print any kind of these religious documents.”

The regulation prohibits foreign organizations and individuals from disseminating such content, except those who have obtained government licenses. It requires that they have not had any criminal charges in the last three years.

“The Chinese government has not only denied Tibetans basic freedom of expression, but now Tibetan writers and those who are influential are completely prohibited from sharing anything,” said Pema Gyal, a researcher. at London-based Tibet Watch. “So in recent years we have hardly seen any content shared by them on social platforms.”

Forbidden to speak in public

Among those excluded are educators Yonten Gatos and Sayul Gyaltsen, historian of Tibet Tsering Dhondup and Sonam, the administrator of the Potala Palace in the regional capital Lhasa, the Tibetan source from inside the region said.

Other Tibetans have been arrested and jailed on charges of “inciting separatism” and “endangering state security,” according to Tibetan sources, underscoring Beijing’s ongoing push to destroy the influence of people whose views on religion and life in Tibet and the Tibetan-populated regions of China runs counter to official Chinese narratives.

Another Tibetan source from within the region sees the regulation as double standards.

“The Chinese government often denies any license or permission it may give Tibetans to teach or educate publicly, and recently it has become even more difficult under regulation,” he said.

“On the contrary, there is so much content shared on social media that is misleading and inappropriate, and for those the Chinese government does not impose restrictions,” he said.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.