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History of Tibet Justice Center
Tibet Justice Center was established in 1989 as the International Committee of Lawyers for Tibet. Dr. Michael van Walt van Praag, Legal Advisor to the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, brought together a group of committed human rights lawyers in the San Francisco area to work on international law issues affecting the Tibetan people. Beginning with our assistance in establishing the Tibet Bureau in Geneva, from which most Tibetan advocacy at the United Nations takes place, helping the Tibetan people act as their own advocates remains at the core of our work. As our knowledge, experience and team of professionals - lawyers and non-lawyers alike - has grown, we have taken on increasingly sophisticated work, from our own fact-finding missions to research on nonviolent solutions to civil conflicts between peoples and governments. All of our projects are geared towards helping the Tibetan people become prepared to take advantage of the opportunities for freedom that will come with time, change and hard work.
1989-91
Assisted in establishing a permanent Tibet Bureau in Geneva, the center of U.N. human rights activities.
Our advocacy helped convince the U.N. Sub- Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities to pass the first U.N. resolution on Tibet since 1965.
1992-95
Prepared report entitled The Relationship Between Environmental Management and Human Rights in Tibet for the Special Rapporteur involved in the study of Human Rights and the Environment. The report was submitted to the UN Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities.
Drafted and presented the seminal position paper on the Tibetans' historical sovereignty and the Tibetan people's right to self-determination at the London Conference of International Lawyers on Issues relating to Self-Determination and Independence for Tibet.
Participated in the U.N. World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna.
Assisted in the successful lobbying effort for the release of Gendun Rinchen, a Tibetan tour guide arrested for passing information of political prisoners to foreign journalists.
Published the First Edition of Legal Materials on Tibet, a comprehensive collection of treaties, historical and legal documents, government and United Nations resolutions, and international instruments relating to Tibet.
Helped organize and lead the delegation of Tibetan women to the U.N.'s 4th World Conference on Women in Beijing. This conference resulted in worldwide attention to the situation in Tibet and Tibetan women in particular. Tibet Justice Center worked two years prior to the conference to ensure Tibetan women's input into the official Platform for Action as well as access for Tibetan women to Beijing to present their issues.
1996
Organized and hosted the first Conference of West Coast Tibet Support Groups.
Participated in the Second International Tibet Support Group Conference in Bonn, Germany.
Drafted and negotiated the passage of a precedent-setting resolution at the World Conservation Union conference calling on China to address Tibetan concerns about a hydro-electric project at the Tibetan sacred lake of Yamdrok Tso.
1997
Assisted in revising the Charter of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Participated in the Third World Parliamentarians Conference on Tibet in Washington, D.C.
Drafted a brief to the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on prison conditions in Tibet.
Drafted a brief on economic development in Tibet and participated in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) People's Summit.
Launched the Tibetan Asylum and Immigration Project to help Tibetan refugees in the United States obtain free or low cost legal assistance for political asylum applications and visa problems.
Drafted and obtained passage by the city of Berkeley, California, of the first selective purchasing ordinance relating to Tibet, which supports the Tibetans' right to control development in Tibet. Similar resolutions have since been passed in several cities and states throughout the U.S., including Massachusetts, New Mexico, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami and Atlanta.
1998
Conducted a fact-finding mission to Dharamsala, India, to document human rights abuses against Tibetan women and drafted a report to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, Violence and Discrimination Against Tibetan Women.
Began a three-year training program for two Tibetans to become legislative counsel to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies, the Parliament of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Sponsored a U.S tour by Chief Justice of the Tibetan Judiciary to familiarize both Tibetans and American lawyers and jurists on how aspects of the Anglo-American system might contribute positively to the administration of civil and criminal justice in Tibetan institutions.
Published Tibet's Sovereignty and the Tibetan People's Right to Self- Determination, a legal analysis of Tibet's historical sovereignty and the Tibetans' right to "self- determination"; i.e., the right to choose their own political, social, cultural and economic futures.
Published the Second Edition of Legal Materials on Tibet.
1999
Helped organize the first U.S. Conference of Tibet Support Groups in Boulder, Colorado and co-authored the Boulder Proposal for coordinating U.S. Tibet support group activities.
Led a delegation of Tibetans attending the session of the U.N. Commitee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which reviewed China's compliance with its obligations to protect women's human rights.
Led a delegation of Tibetans attending the annual session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.
Organized Tibetan participation at the Hague Peace Appeal in The Netherlands.
Helped launch the coordinated international campaign to stop the World Bank from funding the illegal transfer of Chinese settlers into Tibet; drafted an analysis of the international law violations inherent in such a population transfer.
Helped organize and participated in a conference in New Delhi, India, on models for autonomous governments.
Organized and conducted a fact-finding mission in India to investigate human rights abuses against Tibetan children.
2000
Drafted a report for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile on torture of Tibetans for submission to the U.N. Committee Against Torture.
Planned and conducted a workshop to educate Tibetan teachers and settlement officers about the options inherent in a negotiated autonomy agreement with China, who are then tasked with educating and generating public discussion on the issue among Tibetans in the exile communities.
At the World Conservation Union conference in Jordan, negotiated and obtained passage of a resolution concerning the river systems originating on the Tibetan plateau.
Participated in the Third International Tibet Support Group Conference in Berlin, Germany; member of committee that designed the International Tibet Support Network adopted at the Conference.
2001
Published A Generation in Peril: The Lives of Tibetan Children Under Chinese Rule, a report examining torture and treatment in detention, education, and healthcare and nutrition for Tibetan children.
Drafted a report for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile on discrimination against Tibetans for submission to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Wrote the internal briefing paper for the Tibetan Government-in-Exile's delegation to the U.N. Conference on Racism in Durban, South Africa.
Organized and conducted a fact-finding mission to investigate the legal status of Tibetan refugees living in Nepal and the treatment of Tibetan refugees newly arriving in Nepal.
Launched our Tibet Corporate Action Project, aimed at amplifying the voices of Tibetan people on investment and development decisions in Tibet.
2002
Published Tibet's Stateless Nationals: Tibetan Refugees in Nepal, the results of our 2001 fact-finding mission concerning the treatment and status of Tibetan refugees. Began advocacy for Tibetans in Nepal.
Participated in the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Conducted a series of training workshops in Tibetan communities in India on issues of self-governance and autonomy; aimed at increasing the democratic discourse on these issues.
Placed approximately 46 Tibetan asylum cases with pro bono legal counsel, provided expert testimony and mentors to pro bono attorneys and received notice that twelve Tibetan political asylum cases were approved.
Completed the final year in the training of legislative counsel to the Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies, the Tibetan exile Parliament.
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