cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/61015824
Archived
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Chinese authorities [are reportedly] in the process of carrying out a large-scale demolition drive targeting more than 200 residential homes belonging to monks at the historic Dza Sershul Monastery (མདོ་ཁམས་རྫ་སེར་ཤུལ་དགོན་ཐེག་ཆེན་དར་རྒྱས་གླིང) in Sershul County, Karze region of Kham, eastern Tibet.
According to the information received, the demolition is believed to have commenced on either 25 or 26 October 2026, although the exact date and extent of the operation remain unverified.
Information received also indicates that Chinese authorities have been conducting public meetings in the locality while imposing restrictions on internet access and the flow of information. This has made independent verification of the scale of the demolitions and the current situation at the monastery extremely difficult.
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Chinese authorities have previously carried out large-scale demolitions at prominent Tibetan Buddhist learning institutions. At Serthar Larung Gar, major demolitions began on 20 July 2016. At Yachen Gar, demolitions commenced on 8 August 2017, followed by another major demolition campaign beginning on 19 July 2019.
In recent years, the Chinese government has also reportedly forced the closure of several Tibetan-language and educational institutions, including Ragya Gangjong Sherig Norbu Lobling School in July 2024. Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls’ School was reportedly closed on 27–28 August 2026, and Golog Tadrak Orphan School was reportedly forced to close on 2 September 2026.
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The reported demolition of more than 200 monks’ homes, together with the earlier incidents in Sershul, confirms the PRC government’s serious violations of religious freedom, the right to education, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and the right to cultural identity and its preservation of Tibetan people inside Tibet.
The forced removal of underage monks from monastic education threatens the intergenerational transmission of Tibetan Buddhist knowledge and traditions. The detention of monks and laypeople for opposing political propaganda, alongside reported surveillance and compulsory political education, restricts religious practice and dissent.
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The reported detention of residents protesting gold-mining operations further establishes China’s unlawful and routine practice of arbitrary detention, denial of access to information, violation of environmental rights, and denial of the Tibetan people’s rights to traditional grazing lands and the protection of their pastoral livelihoods. It highlights the limited ability of Tibetan communities to express opposition to policies affecting their religious, cultural, social and environmental well-being.