Profiles of Resistance: Tibetan Political Prisoners
Take Action for their Release!
As part of SFT’s effort to profile the voices and actions of ordinary Tibetans inside Tibet, we are prioritizing the cases of six current political prisoners. They were detained for a wide variety of reasons: documenting the opinions of Tibetans inside Tibet (Dhondup Wangchen); speaking out about the torture and mistreatment Tibetans face in detention (Jigme Guri), writing, (Rangjung), advocating for education and environmental protection (Tenzin Delek Rinpoche), and protesting Chinese policies in Tibet and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama (Sangye Lhamo and Runggye Adak), but the common thread is that each of these individuals risked everything to resist Chinese rule in Tibet.
By
profiling the cases of these brave six individuals, we can help free
them from prison, while raising awareness about the incredible risks
Tibetans inside Tibet are taking to publicize and resist China’s
occupation. Download a printable information sheet on the six political prisoners
Dhondup Wangchen, 34, is the filmmaker of Leaving Fear Behind,
a remarkable documentary by Tibetans inside Tibet that captures
firsthand the thoughts, feelings and opinions of Tibetans living under
Chinese occupation. The footage for the film was smuggled out of Tibet
in early March 2008. Dhondup and his cameraman, Jigme Gyatso were fully
aware of the risks they were taking by speak out openly about the
situation in Tibet and choosing not to conceal their identities. In
order for the film to be made, fear truly had to be set aside. Visit SFT's Leaving Fear Behind Action Center.
Dhondup Wangchen was detained on March 26, 2008
in Siling in eastern Tibet (Ch: Xining, Qinghai Province). Jigme Gyatso
was also detained in late March 2008 but released “temporarily” in
October 2008. Dhondup Wangchen is reportedly being held without charge
at Ershilipu Detention Center in Xining Kachu town (Ch: Linxia, Gansu
Province).
In Dhondup Wangchen's own words:
At
a time of great difficulty and a feeling of helplessness, [the idea of
our film is to] get some meaningful response and results. It is very
difficult [for Tibetans] to go to Beijing and speak out there. So that
is why we decided to show the real feelings of Tibetans inside Tibet
through this film.
Nowadays,
China is declaring that they are preserving and improving Tibetan
culture and language. That’s what they’re telling the world. Many
organizations and offices have been set up for these things. What they
say and what they do are totally different, opposites. If they really
want to preserve and improve Tibetan culture and language in Tibet then
they should withdraw Chinese people living in Tibetan areas. Tibetan
culture and language has to be practiced in all Tibetan areas. If it’s
not practiced, how can it be preserved?
UPDATE: Jigme Guri was released on May 3, 2009. Read more. We will continue to post updates on the status of his case.
Jigme Guri (also known as Jigme Gyatso), 42, is a monk at Labrang monastery in Amdo (Ch: Gansu Province). He did not participate in the mass protests at Labrang
on March 14 2008, but was arbitrarily detained on March 22nd when
Chinese authorities swept the monastery. He was beaten badly while in
detention. After being released and spending two months in hospital, he
made a remarkable and incredibly courageous video statement for Voice of America (VOA),
in which he showed his face and disclosed his full name. The statement,
first broadcast on VOA on September 3 2008, described the extreme
torture and mistreatment Jigme experienced in detention as well as his
views on China’s devastating policies in Tibet and a possible
resolution. He then went into hiding for several weeks before returning to his monastery, where he was detained again on November 4, 2008.
He is being held in an unknown location in Lanzhou. There are serious
fears for his welfare after he endured severe torture earlier this year.
In his statement to Voice of America, Jigme said:
Many
of us support the Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach and the process of
solving Tibet's issue through peaceful dialogue. But we are sad about
being extremely oppressed today. Today, I, as a witness to truth, am
telling the media the story of those Tibetans who were killed, those
who underwent torture in prisons, and the countless others who have
been forced to flee to the mountains and are too afraid to return to
their homes, so that the media can truthfully report on these
situations. This is my hope.
Rangjung, in his mid 20s, is a television newscaster and writer from Serthar County
(Ch: Seda), Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (Ch: Ganzi), Kham (Ch:
Sichuan). Rangjung has presented news in Tibet for the local television
channel for several years and he has published two books on Tibetan
culture and history. Public Security Bureau officials who detained him
at his home on September 11, 2008, reportedly later removed a computer
from his home, that they said contained political documents. It is
feared that he may be also have been detained for critical writings on
his blog. Rangjung’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 58, is a religious leader and advocate for Tibetans from Lithang, Kham
(Ch: Kardze (Ganzi) Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan). For years, he
worked to develop social, medical, educational and religious
institutions for Tibetan nomads in the area, as an advocate for
environmental conservation in the face of indiscriminate logging and
mining projects, and as a mediator between Tibetans and Chinese.
Because of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's influence in his community and his
efforts to preserve Tibetan identity, the Chinese authorities viewed
him as a threat to their control in the region. Over the course of a
decade, he was the target of increasing harassment and intimidation by
Chinese officials. Visit SFT's Tenzin Delek Action Center
In
April 2002, the Chinese authorities in Lithang, eastern Tibet, arrested
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and his distant relative Lobsang Dhondup, a
former monk. Both were accused of involvement in bombings and
explosions. On December 2nd, 2002, Lobsang Dhondup was sentenced to
immediate death, and Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was sentenced to death with
a suspension of two years. Lobsang Dhondup was executed shortly
afterwards, and after intense international pressure, Tenzin Delek’s
sentence was commuted to a life sentence on January 26th, 2005.
According to Human Rights Watch, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s case “was
the culmination of a decade-long effort by Chinese authorities to curb
his efforts to foster Tibetan Buddhism, his support for the Dalai Lama
as a religious leader, and his work to develop Tibetan social and
cultural institutions.His efforts had become a focal point for
Tibetans struggling to retain their cultural identity in the face of
China's restrictive policies and its continuing persecution of
individuals attempting to push the accepted boundaries of cultural and
social expression.” In Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s own words:
"Since
I am a Tibetan, I have always been sincere and devoted to the interests
and well-being of Tibetan people. That is the real reason why the
Chinese do not like me and framed me. That is why they are going to
take my precious life even though I am innocent." -Transcript
of recording of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche obtained from the detention
center in Dartsedo, the capital of Kardze Tibet Autonomous Prefecture,
Sichuan province, on January 20, 2003. Radio Free Asia received the recording the following morning.
"Recently, I was called to the Religious Affairs Bureau and the United Front Work
Department. … They told me, “You cannot have photos of the 14th Dalai
Lama, the young Panchen Lama, or pictures of yourself.” And they said,
“The pictures are getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger, and
you cannot do that. And you cannot have a lama’s title.” I told them
that … I did not need the title of lama; I did not need the title of
monk, but I did need the rights of a human being." -
Statement of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, Recorded Just Prior to June 16,
2000, in “Trials of a Tibetan Monk,” Human Rights Watch, p. 70.
Sangye Lhamo,
26, is a nun at Dragkar nunnery in Kardze County, Kardze Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture, Kham (Ch: Sichuan province). She demonstrated
with two other nuns, Tsewang Kando and Yeshi Lhadon, in the market
square of Kardze Town, shouting slogans and distributing leaflets
calling for Tibet’s independence. Approximately two hours later,
Rinchen Lhamo, a student, left her class during a break and, despite
the heavy presence of police in the market square due to the nuns'
earlier protest, unfurled a Tibetan flag and shouted slogans. According
to several sources, she was injured after armed troops opened fire,
before she was detained.
Sangye Lhamo is one of the many Tibetan
nuns who took a leading role in dissent in Kardze Prefecture in May,
part of a “second wave” of protests that appeared to be in response to
the violent force Chinese army and police used to quash peaceful
protests and the stringent 'patriotic education' campaigns authorities
are using to force monks and nuns to denounce the Dalai Lama. By June, more than 80 nuns had been detained.
The
risks taken by Sangye, Tsewang, Yeshi and Rinchen were were even more
remarkable considering the crackdown that was already underway in
Kardze at the time. Sangye Lhamo is from Serchuteng Township, Kardze County.
Runggye Adak,
54, is a Tibetan nomad from Lithang, Kham (Ch: Sichuan) who was
detained August 1 2007 after calling for the Dalai Lama’s return to
Tibet. Adak stepped on stage at a Chinese government function
commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's
Liberation Army and spoke to a crowd of several thousand Tibetans who
had gathered for the annual Lithang horse-racing festival. Before he
was detained, he also called for the release of the Panchen Lama and
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. Visit SFT's Runggye Adak Action Center.
Runggye Adak was later sentenced to eight years for "provocation to subvert state power." Adak's nephew, Adak
Lupoe, a senior monk from Lithang monastery, received sentence of ten
years, and Tibetan art teacher and musician Kunkhyen one of nine years,
both for attempting to provide pictures and information to 'overseas
organizations' which were judged to 'endanger national security'. A
fourth Tibetan, Jarib Lothog, was sentenced to three years linked to
the same case.
An eyewitness described the protest to the International Campaign for Tibet:
"It
all happened so fast - Runggye Adak just came onstage and started
speaking. Although his voice did not carry very far, because it could
have been that they switched the microphone off, I could see Tibetans
nodding their heads about what he was saying about the Dalai Lama and
freedom. Quite a few people were cheering him. Then a few men came up
onto the stage, and it seemed to me that they could have been Tibetans
trying to help him, trying to get him offstage so he wouldn’t be in
more trouble. But then uniformed officers arrived and I could see them
moving through the crowd quickly towards the stage. Many Tibetans tried
to block their way to prevent him reaching Runggye Adak, but they had
no chance. Quite a lot of people followed him when they took him away,
and other people around me were saying how scared they were about his
fate."
As part of SFT’s effort to profile the voices and actions of ordinary Tibetans inside Tibet, we are prioritizing the cases of six current political prisoners. They were detained for a wide variety of reasons: documenting the opinions of Tibetans inside Tibet (Dhondup Wangchen); speaking out about the torture and mistreatment Tibetans face in detention (Jigme Guri), writing, (Rangjung), advocating for education and environmental protection (Tenzin Delek Rinpoche), and protesting Chinese policies in Tibet and calling for the return of the Dalai Lama (Sangye Lhamo and Runggye Adak), but the common thread is that each of these individuals risked everything to resist Chinese rule in Tibet.
Dhondup Wangchen, 34, is the filmmaker of 
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 58, is a 
Sangye Lhamo,
26, is a nun at Dragkar nunnery in Kardze County, Kardze Tibetan
Autonomous Prefecture, Kham (Ch: Sichuan province). She demonstrated
with two other nuns, Tsewang Kando and Yeshi Lhadon, in the market
square of Kardze Town, shouting slogans and distributing leaflets
calling for Tibet’s independence. Approximately two hours later,
Rinchen Lhamo, a student, left her class during a break and, despite
the heavy presence of police in the market square due to the nuns'
earlier protest, unfurled a Tibetan flag and shouted slogans. According
to several sources, she was injured after armed troops opened fire,
before she was detained.
Runggye Adak,
54, is a Tibetan nomad from Lithang, Kham (Ch: Sichuan) who was
detained August 1 2007 after calling for the Dalai Lama’s return to
Tibet. Adak stepped on stage at a Chinese government function
commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's
Liberation Army and spoke to a crowd of several thousand Tibetans who
had gathered for the annual Lithang horse-racing festival. Before he
was detained, he also called for the release of the Panchen Lama and
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. Visit 
