The following are extracted from Amnesty's Annual Reports on Human Rights.

Freedom of religion, expression and association of Tibetans continued to be severely restricted. The State Administration for Religious Affairs established government control over the identification and training of Tibetan Buddhist teachers throughout China. Peaceful expressions of support for the Dalai Lama continued to be harshly punished. Efforts to pass information abroad about crackdowns against Tibetans were harshly punished.

Some 40 Tibetan children were detained by police in Gansu Province for writing pro-Tibetan independence slogans on walls. Eyewitnesses said that four of the boys were bruised and dazed, and that one of them was repeatedly taken away at night, returning in the morning appearing battered and unable to speak.

Runggye Adak, a Tibetan nomad who during a cultural festival publicly called for the Dalai Lama's return to Tibet, was sentenced to eight years in prison for "inciting to split the country" and "severely disrupting public order". Three others were jailed for 10, nine and three years on charges of "colluding with foreign separatist forces to split the country and distributing political pamphlets" for their efforts to send information to overseas organizations about Runggye Adak's arrest.

....freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted in Tibet and among Tibetans elsewhere.

Tibetans

Tibetans in the Tibet Autonomous Region and other areas experienced severe restrictions on their rights to freedom of religious belief, expression and association, and discrimination in employment. Many were detained or imprisoned for observing their religion or expressing opinions, including Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. Excessive use of force against Tibetans seeking to flee repression in Tibet continued. In September witnesses saw Chinese border patrol guards shooting at a group of Tibetans attempting to reach Nepal. At least one child was confirmed killed.

• Woeser, a leading Tibetan intellectual, had her weblog shut down several times after she raised questions about China's role in Tibet.


• Sonam Gyalpo, a former monk, was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in mid-2006 for "endangering state security" after the authorities found videos of the Dalai Lama and other "incriminating materials" in his house. His family learned of his trial and sentencing when they tried to visit him in detention.

Tibet Autonomous Region and other ethnic Tibetan areas

Freedom of religion, expression and association continued to be severely restricted and arbitrary arrests and unfair trials continued. Some prisoners of conscience were released at the end of their sentences, but dozens of others, including Buddhist monks and nuns, remained behind bars where they were at risk of torture or ill-treatment.

• Tashi Gyaltsen and four other monks were assigned to between two and three years' Re-education through Labour in Xiling, Qinghai province, in February for publishing a newsletter which contained poems and articles deemed to be politically sensitive.

Tibet Autonomous Region and other ethnic Tibetan areas

Freedom of religion, expression and association continued to be severely restricted and arbitrary arrests and unfair trials continued. Over 100 Tibetan prisoners of conscience, mainly Buddhist monks and nuns, remained in prison. Contacts between the Chinese authorities and representatives of the Tibetan government in exile continued, with some signs that progress was being made. However, this failed to result in any significant policy changes leading to improved protection for the basic human rights of Tibetans.

• Topden and Dzokar, two monks from Chogri Monastery, Drakgo (Luhuo) County, Sichuan province, together with Lobsang Tsering, a layman, were all reportedly sentenced to three years in prison in August for putting up posters advocating Tibetan independence. They had been detained in July together with numerous others who were released several days later. Some said they were beaten in detention.

China (Extract)

There was progress towards reform in some areas, but this failed to have a significant impact on serious and widespread human rights violations perpetrated across the country. Tens of thousands of people continued to be detained or imprisoned in violation of their fundamental human rights and were at high risk of torture or ill-treatment. Thousands of people were sentenced to death or executed, many after unfair trials. Public protests increased against forcible evictions and land requisition without adequate compensation. China continued to use the global 'war on terrorism' to justify its crackdown on the Uighur community in Xinjiang. Freedom of expression and religion continued to be severely restricted in Tibet and other Tibetan areas of China.

Tibet Autonomous Region and other ethnic Tibetan areas

There were signs of a change in the official approach towards dissent in Tibet with the release of seven prisoners of conscience, including Ngawang Choephel, Jigme Sangpo and Ngawang Sangdrol, as well as meetings between the Chinese authorities and representatives of the Tibetan government in exile. However, freedom of expression, religion and association continued to be severely restricted. Monasteries and nunneries were destroyed and the monks and nuns expelled. In December, death sentences were passed against ethnic Tibetans for alleged political offences for the first time in many years. More than 180 people, mainly Buddhist monks and nuns, continued to be imprisoned in violation of their fundamental human rights, and arbitrary arrests and unfair trials continued. Reports were received of torture and ill-treatment of detainees, and many prisoners suffered health problems because of harsh prison conditions.

• In December, Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, a senior Tibetan religious teacher, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for "inciting separatism" and "causing explosions". His attendant, Lobsang Dhondup, who was additionally convicted of "illegally possessing guns and ammunition", was sentenced to death. They had reportedly been held incommunicado for eight months following their arrest in April. There were serious concerns that their trial was unfair and that Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche had been falsely accused because of his religious or community activities.

Tibet Autonomous Region

Human rights violations against Tibetan Buddhists and nationalists continued in Tibet. Over 250 prisoners of conscience, many of them monks and nuns, were known to remain imprisoned. The ''patriotic education campaign'', launched by the Chinese authorities in 1996 to control monasteries and nunneries and undermine the influence of the exiled Dalai Lama, continued, as did restrictions on religious freedom which had been extended to the population at large in recent years. Some monasteries and nunneries were closed down by the authorities, and monks and nuns expelled. Reports continued of torture and ill-treatment of detainees and harsh prison conditions. Many Tibetan prisoners suffered health problems because of poor food and sanitation, harsh working conditions or beatings. Arbitrary arrests and unfair trials also continued.

• Migmar, a Tibetan woman, was reportedly sentenced to six years' imprisonment in May by Lhasa Intermediate People's Court after being arrested by Public Security Bureau officials while watching a video of the Dalai Lama at her home.

Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR)

In January the 17th Karmapa - the highest profile religious leader to leave the TAR in recent years - escaped into exile. Repression of religious activities in the TAR intensified during 2000. Hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns were believed to remain in prison at the end of the year. Many prisoners were forced to work long hours in harsh conditions. Inadequate and poor quality food combined with insanitary conditions caused health problems for many inmates. Few escaped torture and ill-treatment, particularly during the early stages of custody.

• Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan ethno-musicologist, continued to serve an 18-year prison sentence. He had been convicted in 1996 of ''espionage and counter-revolutionary activities''. At the time of his detention he had been gathering material for the production of a documentary film about traditional Tibetan performing arts. Ngawang Choephel was held in Powo Tramo prison and was reported to be in poor health, suffering from ''bronchitis, hepatitis and respiratory infections''. In August, his mother was given permission by the Chinese authorities to travel from India to Tibet to visit her imprisoned son for the first time since his arrest in 1995.

Tibet Autonomous Region

Gross human rights violations, particularly against Tibetan Buddhists and nationalists, continued. Hundreds of prisoners of conscience, most of them monks and nuns, remained imprisoned. Reports persisted of torture and ill-treatment, harsh prison conditions, and deaths in custody. The "patriotic education" campaign intensified with further closures of monasteries, and ill-treatment and expulsions of monks and nuns deemed "unpatriotic".
Many Tibetan prisoners suffered health problems as a result of inadequate food coupled with poor sanitation and long hours working in unacceptable conditions. Many detainees were tortured and ill-treated. Kidney and liver ailments were common as a result of kicking and beatings by prison guards. Other forms of torture reported included the use of electric shock batons, particularly on sensitive areas such as the mouth or genitals; being forced into painful positions; and the use of ankle, hand and thumb cuffs.

• In July, 16-year-old Phuntsog Legmon, a Tibetan novice monk, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment and two years' deprivation of political rights. The accusation -- "plotting or acting to split the country or undermine national unity" -- related to an incident in March when he and another young monk, who was also arrested, had shouted slogans such as "Free Tibet" for several minutes in the Tibetan capital Lhasa on the anniversary of the 1959 uprising in Tibet.