Even in Australia, many Tibetans do not feel free.

5 February, 2025 | Dr Zoe Bedford

Have you heard about Transnational Repression?

Transnational Repression of Tibetans occurs when the Government of China monitors, intimidates and tries to control the actions of exiled Tibetans – this can happen here in Australia, or anywhere in the world where Tibetans live in exile.

Australia Tibet Council knows this can occur at protests and rallies when people connected to the CCP film try to shout down to otherwise threaten and intimidate Tibetans. But most commonly Chinese authorities weaponise the relatives of Australian-Tibetans who remain in Tibet by harming them, threatening them, or otherwise manipulating them.

This looming threat resulting from ubiquitous surveillance also fosters a constant feeling of unease that spreads fear and disempowers exiled communities.

China uses transnational repression to attempt undermine the legitimacy of overseas advocacy organisations and hinder their functionality by systematically employing economic, political or other devious means to dismantle their solidarity networks, particularly by coercing Tibetans in Australia (and elsewhere in the world) to self-censor or withdraw from advocacy or speaking out about their experiences of arrest and torture.

In simple terms this is because China does not want the world to know the truth about what is happening in Tibet. Australia Tibet Council has been raising this issue with Australian parliamentarians across the political spectrum and will continue to do so.

Australia Tibet Council has also raised this consistently over the years in submissions and inquiries in Australia that look into Foreign Interference. As well as raising China’s transnational repression with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) the Australian police and the department of Home Affairs.

“This issue is a constant in our advocacy for the freedoms of Tibetans. We are working closely with the organisation Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) to make sure of their excellent report is known and the consequences of transnational repression are understood and acted upon by authorities in Australia. You can read their report here “China’s Transnational Repression of Tibetan Diaspora Communities”.

For many Tibetans here in Australia, their movements are monitored and Tibetans speaking out or protesting against the Chinese government face the threat of violence or arrest for their families remaining in Tibet.

The sad reality is that this effectively means that even though Tibetans are now in Australia and many are Australian citizens, China has ensured, via means of transnational repression, that many Tibetans can never be truly free.

Australia Tibet Council is committed to advocating for the right of Tibetans to live in freedom both in Tibet and here in Australia too.