Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy

Founded in 1996, Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy is a non-governmental organisation based in Dharamshala, India working on human rights, democracy & civil society, refugees & migration.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is a non-profit human rights organisation based in Dharamshala, India. Established in exile in January 1996 and registered as an NGO under the Indian Societies Registration Act, 1860, it is described as the first Tibetan non-governmental human rights organisation in exile. TCHRD monitors and documents human rights violations in Tibet, drawing on Chinese state media, communications from inside Tibet, and international sources, and verifies its findings against multiple sources. It publishes annual reports, thematic reports and a Tibetan Political Prisoner Database. Its advocacy includes submitting urgent appeals and reports to UN human rights mechanisms, participating in UN sessions, building civil society coalitions, and lobbying legislators. It also runs knowledge-sharing and capacity-building workshops to empower human rights and democracy advocates, particularly women, children, youth, activists and former political prisoners in the Tibetan community. Its stated vision is a future in which every Tibetan can exercise human rights and democratic freedoms.