Human Rights Watch (HRW) has termed the China's meddling to cover up the images of Tibetan self-immolations in Dhaka Art Summit (DAS) stance against free expression.
The New York-based rights organisation opined that the government should stand up to such meddling considering the murders of four bloggers over free expression last year, says a media release signed by Sophie Richardson, China director of the HRW.
“The Chinese government is well known for covering up that which it does not want discussed: the horrors of the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, and even elements of its purported campaign against corruption.
“As a result, it should not be surprising to hear that Ma Mingqiang, China’s ambassador to Bangladesh, objected vehemently last week after visiting the Dhaka Art Summit that featured images of Tibetan self-immolations, among other subjects,” said Sophie Richardson.
She continued that “But what is surprising – and alarming – is that the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy did not respond to the ambassador’s diatribe by defending the works. Worried that China might even prevail and force the Bangladeshi government to shut down the summit altogether, the exhibit’s artists, Tenzing Sonam and Ritu Sarin, chose another unique form of protest: covering the images.”
Bangladesh should speak out against Beijing’s efforts to curtail free expression there considering that four bloggers were murdered in Bangladesh in 2015 and this is a time for the Sheikh Hasina government to stand up to bullies, she said.
