Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy  (TCHRD) is a registered non-governmental human rights organisation established in January 1996 in Dharamsala (India) with the mission to protect the human rights of the Tibetan people in Tibet and promote the principles of democracy in the exile Tibetan community.

The centre is entirely run and staffed by Tibetans in exile. The centre’s all-Tibetan staff recognize the reality of living under occupation, of being born in exile and of having that access to provide accurate, up-to-date insights into life in occupied Tibet. The centre enjoys direct and immediate access to information from Tibetan refugees escaping Tibet via Nepal to Dharamsala.

Our work entails monitoring, researching, translating and exposing human rights violations to the international community, thereby making China answerable for their consolidation of control over Tibet through repression.  The centre conducts regular, systematic investigation of human rights situation in Tibet and monitors human rights policies of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Every year, we bring out annual report, thematic reports, testimonies of victims of human rights violations, biweekly newsletters, press releases and briefings on human rights issues that confront Tibetans inside Tibet.

The centre engenders awareness on a wide range of issues relating to human rights and democracy through both grassroots and diplomatic means, using both the infrastructure of regional and international institutions as well as community based awareness campaigns. TCHRD attends the annual sessions of UN Human Rights Council as well as other regional, national and international conferences. Such participation is aimed at highlighting human rights situation in Tibet and lobbying and networking on the promotion and protection of human rights in Tibet. In keeping with our goal to make China a responsible international member, the centre actively engages with the UN human rights mechanism and special procedures submitting reports and cases of specific human rights violations in Tibet.

In an effort to engender a culture of human rights and democratic practices among Tibetans, the centre organises workshops, talk series, public discussions and campaigns every year for students, activists, grassroots leaders, etc. The centre also launches various campaign activities of national and international scope on specific human rights advocacy issues.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the patron of TCHRD. The international advisory board is comprised of prominent personalities from around the world. The centre functions under the auspice of a Board of Directors consisting of seven to twelve members from various sectors of society who act as trustees of the Centre. The Executive Director, as the principal executive officer, oversees the entire responsibility of the centre.