London ( CNN ) -- As I write , we have just received news of what we believe to be the 29th Tibetan in the past month to set fire to themselves in protest at Chinese rule in Tibet . By the time you read this , it is likely that more have made this extraordinary choice . At Free Tibet we have seen protesters die from their injuries and survivors disappear by Chinese state authorities . It 's hard to imagine how bad the circumstances must be for a person to decide that the most effective way they can make their views known is to wrap barbed wire around their body -- so that burning clothes can not be pulled off them -- drink gasoline , pour it over themselves , light the fuel and be consumed by fire . Tibetans ca n't vote , their petitions to government are ignored , protest of any kind is criminalized and , once imprisoned , most Tibetans are denied a lawyer . Without legal or political recourse to address their grievances , they risk their lives , their liberty and the safety of their families to protest China 's occupation of Tibet . This goes some way to explain why more than 90 Tibetans from all walks of life have called for freedom by setting themselves on fire -- all other avenues have proved futile . There are thousands more who have protested in other ways . China has responded not by negotiating , but by perpetrating further violations of Tibetans ' human rights in efforts to stamp out dissent , which is deemed a threat to `` One China . '' We have seen military and security forces descend in large numbers on places where self-immolations have taken place . Over much of the last year and a half , since a young monk called Phuntsog set fire to himself there , the Chinese military have lined the streets of the town of Ngaba ; road blocks restricting people 's movements . Free Tibet has received reports of security forces ransacking homes , beating people in their houses and in public in a show of force and intimidation of the community . People suspected of being involved with those who have set fire to themselves are criminalized . Rewards -- the equivalent of a generous annual salary -- are on offer for information about collaborators , and anyone suspected of collaboration can expect to receive a prison sentence of up to 13 years . Free Tibet has documented a number of incidents of collective punishment of communities where protests have taken place . Last month , a public information broadcast on Tibetan television outlined , in great detail , collective punishment measures for communities where self-immolations take place : the families of those who set fire to themselves will have any state benefits removed , communities where protests take place will not receive investment for local projects for three years ; government officials will be `` removed . '' Although protests by fire have captured the attention of the international media , there are other protests across Tibet that have not gained such coverage . Thousands , from school children to the elderly , are engaging in peaceful protests . They have been shot at -- some killed , many more wounded -- by Chinese security forces . Over five days in January , in three separate incidents , Free Tibet received reports that five Tibetans were shot dead , many more wounded , when security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters . We believe those suspected of involvement in the protests have been rounded up and detained in their hundreds ; scores have been disappeared ; many have been tortured and some have died while in detention , most likely from the wounds they sustained during torture . Others have acted alone . Jigme Dolma , a 17-year-old girl , was beaten and detained by security forces for throwing Buddhist writings in the air and calling for the release of political prisoners . Her protest lasted five minutes ; her sentence , after having been disappeared for several months , is three years in prison . The rest of the world knows very little about the situation in Tibet because few places today , except perhaps North Korea , are so effectively cut off from the rest of the world . Internet and mobile phone signals are routinely blocked , particularly in areas where protests take place . When they are n't blocked they are tightly monitored and Tibetans suspected of `` sharing information '' are regularly disappeared or detained and receive up to life imprisonment just for sending an e-mail . One Tibetan , who declined to be identified , recently told us : `` I really do n't have the courage to sacrifice my life with immolation but I can spend time in Chinese jail for passing on the truth . '' Human rights monitors and international diplomats are refused entry to Tibet and the international media are banned . The only journalists who have reported from Tibet over the last two years have done so by entering the country undercover , hidden on the back seats of cars . Even then , most only manage to film through a car window . All these impediments make securing and verifying information an extremely dangerous job for anyone inside the country , and a constant challenge for organizations like Free Tibet . Free Tibet ensures that governments do know what is happening in Tibet , despite China 's best efforts to gloss over and conceal the truth . Sadly , many countries choose to turn a blind eye . We welcome steps taken by the U.S. -- for instance Ambassador to China Gary Locke 's public statement urging Beijing to negotiate with the Tibetan people to address policy failures in Tibet -- but there is so much more that the international community must do if Tibetans are to enjoy the freedoms so many of us take for granted . *Please note CNN has offered the Chinese government a chance to comment but we have not yet received a response . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stephanie Brigden .
Free Tibet : We have seen protesters die from their injuries , survivors disappear by authorities . As many as 29 Tibetans have self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule , group says . Without legal or political recourse to address their grievances , they risk their lives , says Brigden . Brigden : World remains largely unaware of the situation as the region is effectively cut off .