GENEVA — The top human rights official of the United Nations took China to task on Friday over the suppression of Tibetans’ rights that she said had driven them to “desperate forms of protest,” referring to about 60 self-immolations by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule that have been reported since March 2011, including seven since mid-October.

The official, Navi Pillay, the high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement that she was disturbed by reports of detentions, disappearances and the excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators, as well as curbs on Tibetans’ cultural rights. Ms. Pillay said “serious concerns” had been raised over the claims of torture and ill-treatment of detainees and about the standards of their trials.