The United States released its controversial annual human rights report 2012 on April 19, 2013, once again pointing its finger at the human rights situation in China’s Tibet, blaming the immolations of monks and nuns in Tibetan-inhabited areas on China for "political restrictions and lack of religious freedom."

By criticizing China's religious situation as"marked deterioration" the report apparently ignored the basic facts and reality in China, who has been making utmost efforts in protecting Tibetan people's religious freedom and their right of conducting religious practice guaranteed by law.

First, the government does not force or forbid people to become a monk, and people above 18 years old are free to apply for registration as monks or nuns as religious practitioners.

Second, the government does not intervene in religious practices as long as they do not disturb the social stability nor aim at political separation.

Tibetan Buddhism is popular in Tibet with different monasteries located in various places. Almost in every village there is a monastery. People go to the monasteries to worship Buddha as a daily routine, or invite lamas to chant sutras and conduct religious rituals in their homes. The government respect and protect such peaceful religious activities.

In China today, no one will be persecuted just because he or she is affiliated with any of the lawful religions. And only a few members from the banned cults and illegal extremist religious organizations in the guise of seeking religious freedom have been punished strictly according to law.

For example, a court in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Jan.31, 2013 convicted two ethnic Tibetans of "intentional homicide" for inciting eight people to self-immolate, three of whom died.

Lorang Konchok, 40, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and has been stripped of political rights in the rest of his life. His nephew, Lorang Tsering, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and has been stripped of political rights for three years, according to the court verdict.

As a matter of fact, the year 2012 witnessed more actions taken to enhance religious freedom in Tibet. Projects were conducted to construct and preserve religious venues; pilgrims turned to convenient means of transportation such as the Qinghai-Tibet railway to pay pilgrimage; Tibetan Buddhist study courses were opened regularly, along with more exchange activities were conducted in inland cities. And most of all, monks' life has been advanced with better access to modern technological products.

In contrast to the claim in the U.S. report that "the total number of reported self-immolations by Tibetan Buddhist laypersons and monks during the year, was more than six times that of 2011", these incidents were, in fact politically-motivated, as they were part of the Dalai Lama clique's scheme to internationalize the "Tibet issue."

Since the self-immolation incident took place, the Dalai clique has frequently made statements and unscrupulously required "Chinese communist leaders to resume peaceful negotiations with the so-called Tibetan government in exile and resolve Tibet-related issues".

The head of this illegal government publicly expressed his expectation that "the Arab Spring triggered by self-immolations in Tunis" would be seen in China.

As a sovereign state, China has every right to maintain its social stability and territorial integrity by restricting religious extremism, splittism and terrorism which all lead to violence in the name of seeking religious freedom or human rights.

The annual report, largely based on unconfirmed Western media reports and allegations from outlawed groups and organizations with ulterior motives, is nothing but a political scheme used by the U.S. government to exert pressure on China in order to deter the rise of China as a new power in the world. And it also evidences its strong prejudice against China in its ideology-oriented foreign policy.