Tibet Flood Victims Have a Right to be Heard

The useful part

Click to expand Image Rescue workers use drones to deliver supplies at Gyirong Port in Tibet, August 28, 2026. On Weibo, which follows Beijing's censorship demands, the Chinese social media platform prominently pinned a memorial hashtag (#向吉隆泥石流灾害遇难人员默哀) at the top of trending topics, alongside eight other disaster-related topics. The lead post featured a CCTV newscaster essentially reading a Politburo communique, during which President Xi Jinping reportedly suggested China's top leaders observe a minute of silence for the victims.

How it works

• Censorship and self-censorship are pervasive throughout China, particularly in Tibetan areas, as Human Rights Watch has long documented.
• People can be imprisoned for undermining national security simply by sharing information with the outside world.
• Foreigners, including journalists and independent investigators, are unable to enter without permission.
• Three of the eight portray the police response positively, including, "the smile of a police officer at Gyirong Port moved netizens to tears." When survivors do appear, they serve the official media narrative.
• Another trending topic features a video of police officers comforting a bereaved flood victim.

Details worth keeping

Authorities have also punished at least 10 for "rumormongering" related...