By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, March 15: A Tibetan prisoner named Ludup, who had been held in prison for three and a half years, was released last month with injuries sustained during his incarceration where he had been compelled to undergo forced labour. He remains under police surveillance and lacks access to medical assistance, reported research group Tibet Watch.
According to the research group, Ludup sustained serious leg injuries due to excessive shifts of forced labour, leaving his leg crippled. Despite his disability, Ludup is frequently summoned, interrogated, and subjected to political re-education sessions by the authorities of Meruma Township police.
Ludup, also known as Rinchen Goedoe, was enrolled at Kirti Monastery from a young age and belongs to the Samsang family in village number four Meruma Township, Ngaba County. The 54 year-old was arrested in Ngaba County in June 2020, twelve years after participating in a protest in front of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba on March 16, 2008. This period marked a surge of protests throughout Tibet. Sources informed Tibet Watch that Ludup’s family was not informed of the court overseeing his trial, nor were they notified of the charges against him.
Before his arrest, Ludup had spent the years 2008 to 2020 evading the police, who eventually issued a public notice calling upon the townspeople of Meruma in Ngaba to provide information about Ludup and several other Kirti monks allegedly involved in an “illegal protest movement.” Following his arrest and trial, Ludup served his sentence in Deyang Prison in Huang Xu Town, Deyang City, Sichuan Province.
Having lost his identity card and without a replacement issued, Ludup faces challenges in accessing medical care at hospitals. Additionally, he is under strict surveillance and is restricted from meeting family and friends, even during Tibetan New Year festivities.
