Dharamshala — Chinese authorities forced a Tibetan official to resign after he visited a Tibetan monastery. The authorities prohibit Tibetan officials from visiting monasteries, which constitutes a violation of Tibetans' fundamental rights to freedom of belief and religion by the Chinese government. The Chinese authorities also deployed a large number of Chinese armed forces to Lhasa during the Tibetan New Year, with intensive surveillance.
According to a reliable source, Chinese authorities dismissed a Tibetan official in Xunhua County, Tsongon (Ch: Qinghai), northeast Tibet, in February, 2026 after finding out that he had visited a Tibetan monastery. His name and other details are not disclosed for reasons of personal safety and fear of arrest by the Chinese authorities, who often arrest Tibetans who send information from Tibet to free countries.
Tibetans are deeply connected to their religion, Buddhism, their way of thinking, acting, treating others with kindness, compassion, harmony and without harming them, including animals, taking care of the natural environment and not destroying it, all of which comes from Buddhism.
But, in recent years, the Chinese Communist government has prevented Tibetan children and Tibetan officials from visiting monasteries, making offerings and praying, with the aim of severing their ties with their religion, Buddhism.
This repressive policy harms not only Tibetans, but also the Chinese population and neighbouring populations, as the Chinese Communist Party wanted to transform the Tibetans, known for their generosity, into a demoralised people.
The Chinese authorities also deployed a large military contingent to Lhasa, the Capital of Tibet, and other parts of Tibet during Losar (Tibetan New Year). The Chinese authorities in Lhasa also issued a notice to Tibetan officials, prohibiting them from participating in a number of religious and other activities, including attending ceremonies or making offerings, as Tibetans usually do during the Tibetan New Year.
A video from Tibet obtained by TPI shows Chinese armed forces lined up on Barkhor Street (or Barkhor Kora), Lhasa, Tibet, on Febraury 20, 2026, while Tibetans circumambulate around the Barkhor and watch them closely, not to mention the ubiquitous security cameras. Tibetans live in constant fear, as if in an open-air prison.
