By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Dec 30: A Tibetan man named Lhakdor has been reportedly detained by Chinese authorities in Palyul County (Ch. Baiyu) in Kardze Autonomous Prefecture for allegedly spreading rumours online about Tibet’s independence, according to TibetTimes. He has already served seven years of his sentence but due to clampdown on information channels, the news of his arrest and sentence has surfaced now.
According to the report, in July 2016, Lhakdor intended to board a flight from Kardze to Lhasa. During this journey, Chinese authorities conducted a search of his phone and discovered videos related to Tibet’s independence. Subsequently, he was apprehended on allegations of disseminating information under a controversial new Chinese crime of spreading rumours over the internet. Following his arrest, Lhakdor was taken to a local court situated in Palyul County, where he received a sentence of 11 years in prison. Notably, this sentencing occurred in the presence of his family members, as stated in the report.
An anonymous source inside Tibet told TT, “Lhakdor is known to be a frequent traveller and holds a strong sense of patriotism towards his homeland.His family members have only been permitted to visit him on one occasion since his arrest. Presently, there is a lack of clarity regarding his current location and the specific detention centre where he is being held. Despite requests for visitation rights, officials have consistently denied these requests.”
As per the report, Lhakdor’s family managed to visit him only once during the seven years following his initial arrest. As of now, there is no information on Lhakdor’s location and the state of his health.
