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Tibetans enraged over the death of former political prisoner Jigme Gyatso in Gansu

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Late Jigme Gyatso in a photo taken on the 84th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2020 (Photo/TCHRD)

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, July 5: The former political prisoner Jigme Gyatso, also known as Labrang Jigme, who was arrested multiple times in the last decade resulting in numerous injuries, has reportedly died at his residence in Gansu on July 2. The cause of the 56-year-old’s death remains unknown but his poor health since his release from prison in 2016 has been noted to have prompted his demise, according to sources.

“Since May his health took a turn for the worse, and he was taken to a medical facility in Xining, Qinghai province, for a long period but without any success. The Chinese government is trying to block information regarding Gyatso which is why it has become extremely difficult to get a recent photo of him,” a source from inside Tibet informed Radio Free Asia on Sunday. He was detained in 2006, 2008, 2009 and then again in 2016, and was sentenced to five years in prison by the Kanlho People’s Intermediate Court on the charges of attempting to “split the nation.”

“He was gone too soon. That was no age to go. But his family couldn’t get timely medical help due to restrictions imposed by the Chinese authorities. He would have survived if he was treated properly. He was an exceptional individual,” a source quoted by rights group Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy said. As per reports, he was suffering from multiple health complications including diabetes, hypertension, and other complications related to his heart, liver and eyes, when he was released from prison in 2016.

Former poilitical prisoner Jigme Gyatso when he was hospitalized (Photo/CTA)

TCHRD Executive Director Tsering Tsomo in a statement expressed devastation at the news of his death, “[He was] one of the most courageous and compassionate human rights defenders, who sacrificed everything to advance the cause of freedom and human rights in Tibet. Gyatso’s death was the direct result of the long years of torture and cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment he suffered at the hands of Chinese government and the denial of proper and timely medical treatment.” His writings and video clips of his testimony surfaced online as Tibetans in exile mourned his unfortunate and abrupt death.

In the video testimony about his second detention in 2008, he recalls his experiences of torture and interrogation tactics in the transcript produced by TCHRD that showed a glimpse of the extent of torture he faced, “I was kept there for one month during which time I was handcuffed in one position for many days and nights … They would hang me up for several hours with my hands tied to a rope… hanging from the ceiling and my feet above the ground. Then they would beat me on my face, chest, and back, with the full force of their fists. Finally, on one occasion, I had lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital. After I regained consciousness at the hospital, I was once again taken back to prison where they continued the practice of hanging me from the ceiling and beating me.”

Rights advocate Jigme Gyatso was a Buddhist monk and scholar at Labrang Tashikyil monastery in Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu province situated in the traditional Tibetan province of Amdo. The Chinese authorities had first detained him in 2006 after his return from India where he had attended Kalachakra religious teachings from the exiled leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The second time he was detained was in 2008 when he was accused of being the instigator of a protest by monks who interrupted a media tour organized by the Chinese state. His Third detention which lasted for over five months from November 2008 to May 2009 was followed by a host of restrictions and conditions on his movements.

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