By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Aug 30: Dharamshala-based rights group Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy on Sunday revealed that two Tibetans who were feared to be detained were reportedly sentenced to prison in June for at least two years each. Tenzin Dhargay and Rigtse were held incommunicado for merely exercising their rights to freedom of expression; Dhargay was detained for possessing a photo of the Dalai Lama and political information in his phone whereas Rigtse’s cause of imprisonment is not known yet. However, they were both arrested by the Chinese authorities in September 2020.
“This verdict, like many others in the past, is the result of sham trials where no human rights and rule of law was guaranteed or respected. As a party to major international human rights instruments, the PRC government has obligations to promote and protect the free exercise of the right to freedom of opinion and expression,” TCHRD said while calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the two monks.
Both Dhargay and Rigtse are from Bharong Village of Sershul County’s Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the so-called Sichuan province. They were arbitrarily detained for almost two years with no details of their condition or whereabouts.
The report said that the Sershul County People’s Court sentenced Tenzin Dhargay to three years and six months and Rigtse was sentenced to three years in prison. Reports emerged of Dhargay’s detention last year, although details of the same could not be ascertained at the time.
Although Rigtse’s charges are not known, Dhargay was arrested for sharing “sensitive” information and photos on his personal WeChat account, where he used the name “Dalai’s Follower” (Tib: ཏཱ་ལའི་རྗེས་འབྲང་) on his account. As per the report, when China held their 70th anniversary celebration of Tibet’s peaceful liberation last year, Dhargay had disputed the Chinese government narrative on Tibet’s occupation by noting that no such liberation happened in Tibet.
