The Dalai Lama is now travelling around the world giving glib talk about human rights, "love and sympathy" and "non-violence," and, in a compassionate tone, appealing for the restoration of the Tibetan people's "human rights." Since the Dalai Lama is the leading figure of Lamaism and a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, people naturally believe that under the rule of the Dalai Lama the Tibetan people were in their happiest time and that they enjoyed their highest level of freedom and human rights. To discover the truth, this author studied many records and files. The following, however, is just a small portion of the voluminous records about the human rights situation in Tibet under the rule of the Dalai Lama.

To begin with, this is a copy of a contract regarding the compensated transfer of a young girl:

"Hereupon, the daughter of Soinnam Butri, serf of zhacang of the Nechung Monastery. After her mother died, the girl, named Lhaba, was adopted by Aidingba. The butler of the chief lama of the Nechung Monastery has paid Aidingba 12 zhanggak (old Tibetan monetary unit) of silver for the adoption. Now this girl is to be transferred to Chaiba [akind of serf] Drongdopa, and a contract specifying additional corvee is signed. According to the contract, in the future, Drongdopa must unconditionally render corvee services both inside and outside the monastery and accept at any time the assignment of the Living Buddhas and other officials. The girl must also spare no effort in rendering her services. Drongdopa may consider and decide on the girl's marriage in the future. But the descendants of the girl will continue to be included in the register book of zhacang of the Nechung Monastery. This term may not be violated. Should any deceitful behaviour or similar action occur, it will not be tolerated and, no matter whoever this person may be, severe punishment will be meted out to him.

Contractor: The Drongdo Family Lhaba (finger print)

Guarantor: Jebu (finger print) The 10th day of the 2nd month of the Fire Dragon Year of the Tibetan calendar"

It should be noted here that at that time 95 percent of the Tibetans belonged to their masters for generation after generation, and that those in this position were called "shumin (serf)." Chaiba was a serf who tilled the land for their masters gratis and rendered all sorts of corvee services. The owners of serfs, the estate-holders, accounted for 5 percent of the Tibetan population and were composed of lamas of the monasteries, officials and aristocrats.

In old Tibet, human beings could be traded. The following is the full text of a contract on the trade of serfs between two estate-holders:

"After negotiation, the Riqu Monastery and its benefactor Pongyashung have agreed to trade Ngodrup, son of the Buddhist hall guard and serf of the Riqu Monastery, with Tenzin Wangyal, son of Zhegya Jamyang Wangyal and serf of Pongyashung. In the future, Pongyashung will become the owner of all the descendants of the above-mentioned Ngodrup, while the Riqu Monastery will become the owner of all the descendants of Tenzin Wangyal. The agreement has been reached. To ensure that none of the two parties will make any alteration or raise any objection in the future, this contract is hereby concluded. With two copies, this contract serves as a proof.

Treasurer of Shenri (seal)

Treasurer of the Riqu Monastery (official seal)

The 1st day of the sixth month of the Water Tiger Year of the Tibetan calendar"

In old Tibet, human beings could also be used to pay debts. The following are two indentures on the payment of debts by giving members of the debtors' family to the creditors.

Indenture I: The text of the indenture signed by serf Cewang Raodeng and his wife on paying their debts by selling their daughter and baby son:

"Cewang Raodeng and his wife, serf of the Duosong Manor, unable to pay the large amounts of silver for the grain they owed to Dekang of Nedong, have to pay their debts by giving their daughter Gensong Dundan and baby son Bema Danzin to Dekang. The descendants of the above-mentioned two children will all become the serf of Dekang."

Indenture II: The text of the indenture by which Zhaxi Quda agreed to let his sister Cering Lhamo pay his debt to Lharang by rendering free labour service to Lharang for ten years:

"Zhaxi Quda of the Nari Manor, who is unable to repay the 40 ke (about 520 kg) of grain owed to Lharang, has agreed to pay the debt by letting his sister Cering Lhamo render corvee service to Lharang for ten years. Should any slight violation occurs,the responsible party will be punished according to local decrees."

There did have been laws under the rule of the Dalai Lama before 1959. They included the 13-Article Code and the 16-Article Code which had been in force for more than three centuries. Under the two codes, "people were classified into three ranks -the upper, middle and the lower-each rank was sub-divided into the upper, middle and lower levels" according to their blood relationship of the noble and the lowly and with their position. The Tibetan king, major and minor Living Buddhas and the nobles belonged to the upper rank, while merchants, staff members and herds-owners belonged to the middle rank, and blacksmiths, butchers and women belonged to the lower rank and lower level. The life value of people of various ranks was also different. The code stipulated, "As people are different in rank and level, so are their life prices." According to the two codes, the life price of the people at the upper rank and upper level was "priceless." and "their remains are equal to gold in amount"; the life price of people at the upper rank and middle level was equivalent to 300-400 taels of gold, while the life price of blacksmiths, butchers and women was as cheap as "a straw rope." The reparations price for a murdered blacksmith or a butcher was just as the price of "a straw rope." (see Rules on the Life Price of a Murdered" under Article 7 of the 13-Article Code).

In order to safeguard this "three-rank-nine-level" system, the code laid down severe punishment meted out for acts by the lower offending the upper. Article 3 of the 13-Article Code clearly stipulated, "The lowly who squabbles with the honourable should be arrested." Article 8 stipulated, "Punishment meted out to the upper and the lower who hurt others is different: the civilian who hurts an official will be punished by cutting off his or her hands or legs according to the seriousness of the injury; while any owner who accidentally hurts a servant will be responsible for the cost of treating the wound but will not be punished. Owners who beat and wound servants will not have to compensate them." In "Rules on Corporal Punishment for Felony" under Article 4 of the 13-Article Code, corporal punishment was laid down as follows: Gouging out the eyes, chopping off limbs, cutting off the tongue, pushing the "offender" down a cliff or drowning him.

In old Tibet, not only local governments at various levels set up tribunals and prisons, but large monasteries, manorial owners and tribal chiefs also could handle cases. In an order signed personally by the Dalai Lama to Zomgbon and other officials, it was reaffirmed that the Zhaibung Monastery had the right to handle various lawsuit cases, convict the "offenders" and take measurement of penalty. Therefore, meting out various corporal punishments was very common in old Tibet. Among the existing materials, there are many photos taken during the 1950s under the Dalai Lama rule, these include a serf named Babu whose eyes were gouged out by the manorial owner, herdsman Beimo Hongzhen whose right hand was chopped off by his manorial owner simply because he stole half a small bag of qingke (highland barley), herdsman Tuituo of Amdo County whose leg was chopped off by a tribal chief, and herdsman Bude whose eyes were gouged out. Various kinds of dreadful instruments of torture are still kept intact to this date.

Among the archives, macadre things have been discovered. The following are some original documents:

Letter I: Tribal Head Radao,

In order to congratulate the Dalai Lama on his birthday, all staff members of the school of Lamaism need to recite Buddhist sutras. In order to conscientiously complete this religious service, it is necessary to offer sacrifice on the day, and a pair of wet intestines, two heads, various kinds of blood, a man's skin are urgently needed. It is hoped that you will immediately send them in.

Shusji Xiaoxia Pakong

Letter II: Ragal,

As it is necessary to carry out the religious service with the goddess serving food, four heads, ten pairs of intestines, pure blood, stained blood, ruins soil, a widow's menstrual blood, a leper's blood, various kinds of flesh, hearts, blood, shade land's water, whirl wind soil, thistles and thorns growing northward, dog's dung, human wastes, and the butcher's boots are needed, be sure to send them to Cerqoikang.

Cerqoikang the 19th

The above historical records are the most convincing evidence of the human rights situation in Tibet under the Dalai Lama's rule.

Today, there are no more "manorial owners," and "serfs," nor are people regarded as an individual's property which can be bought, sold, transferred, exchanged or used to pay a debt. People are no longer classified into three ranks and nine levels, and blacksmiths, butchers and women are no longer worth just as a straw rope, instead, as stipulated in the Constitution, they are members of the working class leading the country and women are equal to men, "holding up half the sky." There are no more tribunals set up by monasteries, manorial owners and tribal chiefs and punishments like gouging out people's eyes, chopping off people's hands and legs and cutting off people's tongues, nor are there anyone who dares to claim for human's heads, skin, intestines and blood. The Dalai Lama, once the biggest manorial owner and the top man in Tibet, now runs around campaigning for restoring human rights to the Tibetan people, what kind of human rights does he want to restore?

(This article appears on page 4 No. 20, 1991)