US urges China to improve human rights in Tibet

Following the recent incidents of self-immolations by Tibetan youths in protest of Chinese rule, the United States has urged China to address the issue of human rights violations in Tibet, and has asked authorities to keep a check on self-immolations by Tibetans.

“We want to see the human rights situation there and throughout China improve,” the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, told reporters on Friday.

“We have been clear for decades about our commitment to human rights in Tibet, that we want to see China address the underlying problems there, the threats to the distinctive culture and linguistic identity of the Tibetan people, and our grave concern about the fact that people would feel so desperate as to resort to self-immolation,” she said.

Nuland said the US has been regularly raising its concern about the Tibetan self-immolations with Chinese authorities.

“We encourage China to work with authorities in Tibet to address the grievances of the people and to protect the cultural diversity of their country,” she said when asked about the death of two Tibetans in self-immolation in protest against human rights violations by the Chinese.