New York [US], May 19 (ANI): Human Rights Watch has called on the Chinese government to release the 11th Panchen Lama, Gendun Choki Nyima, and his parents, who were allegedly forcibly disappeared by Chinese authorities on May 17, 1995, and have not been seen publicly for the past 30 years.

According to the HRW report, the Panchen Lama and Dalai Lama have historically played crucial roles in recognising each other's reincarnated successors. With the current Dalai Lama set to celebrate his 90th birthday on July 6, concerns regarding his succession and the future of Tibetan Buddhism are becoming increasingly significant.

'The Chinese government kidnapped a 6-year-old and his family and have disappeared them for 30 years to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama and thus Tibetan Buddhism itself,' HRW quoted China researcher Yalkun Uluyol as saying.

He urged governments and international actors to pressure China to reveal the whereabouts of Gendun Choki Nyima and his family and ensure their freedom.

As cited by the HRW report, Chinese authorities forcibly disappeared Gendun Choki Nyima on May 17, 1995, just three days after the Dalai Lama officially recognised him as the 11th Panchen Lama. The report added that even displaying photographs of Nyima or the Dalai Lama remains prohibited in Tibet.

Following his disappearance, Chinese authorities allegedly compelled another group of monks to identify Gyaltsen Norbu as the official reincarnation of the Panchen Lama. HRW stated that Gyaltsen Norbu's parents were reportedly members of the Chinese Communist Party.

The report further stated that authorities detained Jadrel Rinpoche, the abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, who supervised the search for the Panchen Lama's reincarnation, along with more than 30 monks from the monastery. According to the Dalai Lama, Jadrel Rinpoche's current whereabouts and condition remain unknown.

HRW noted that in 2015, twenty years after the disappearance, Chinese authorities claimed that Gendun Choki Nyima was 'living normally' and 'did not want to be disturbed by anyone.'

The organisation also alleged that China has steadily tightened control over Tibet, including the Tibet Autonomous Region and Tibetan autonomous areas in Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu, and Yunnan provinces. According to HRW, following widespread protests across Tibet in 2008, Chinese security forces increased restrictions across the region, maintaining heavy surveillance and limiting access and travel to Tibetan areas.

The HRW report stated that even mild criticism of government policies can reportedly lead to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, long-term imprisonment, prosecution, and in some cases, torture. Authorities have also allegedly implemented intrusive surveillance systems, enforced the use of Mandarin Chinese in schools, relocated Tibetans from traditional villages into state-built settlements, and imposed severe restrictions on international travel and communication with relatives abroad.

According to HRW, Chinese authorities introduced regulations in 2007 restricting the recognition of reincarnated Tibetan Buddhist leaders without state approval. The rules reportedly require reincarnations to be born within China and mandate the use of the 'Golden Urn' system for selecting high-ranking lamas, an 18th-century lottery-based method that Tibetans had rarely used before the Chinese Communist Party made it compulsory.

The report further highlighted that since 2009, there have been 160 recorded cases of self-immolation involving Tibetans, resulting in the deaths of 127 people.

HRW also stated that since 2012, nearly all Tibetan monasteries have been placed under the direct supervision of Chinese government officials stationed permanently in Tibet.

Since 2018, Tibetan monks and nuns have reportedly been required to meet the 'Four Standards', including demonstrating 'political reliability' and loyalty during 'critical moments'. The report suggested these measures are linked to ensuring support for the Chinese government's eventual selection of the next Dalai Lama and other reincarnated religious leaders.

The HRW report noted that five United Nations human rights mandates, including the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, had earlier condemned the continued enforced disappearance of Gendun Choki Nyima and criticised Chinese regulations governing reincarnation in Tibetan Buddhism.

HRW defined enforced disappearance under international law as the detention or arrest of a person by state authorities followed by a refusal to disclose the individual's fate or whereabouts.

The report added that several governments and international bodies, including the European Parliament, have repeatedly urged China to provide information regarding the Panchen Lama's whereabouts.

Human Rights Watch also called on China to permit unrestricted access to Tibetan regions for UN monitors, independent human rights organisations, and international media.

The organisation had urged governments with significant Buddhist populations, including India, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan, to publicly mark the 30th anniversary of the Panchen Lama's disappearance and support the religious rights of Tibetans.

'The 30th anniversary of the Panchen Lama's disappearance provides governments an important opportunity to urge the Chinese government to end its decades of repression of the Tibetan people,' Uluyol said, according to the HRW report. (ANI)