By Tendar Tsering
DHARAMSHALA, September 7: Following last week’s sentencing of three Tibetan monks to lengthy jail terms, two more Tibetans have been given jail terms in separate incidents in eastern Tibet for carrying out protests against Chinese rule.
In a release today, the Dharamshala based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said that Samphel Dhondup, 23 was sentenced to three years in jail by a Chinese court in Kardze, Tibet in August.
Samphel Dhondup was arrested by the Kardze Public Security Bureau along with two other Tibetans, Lobsang Phuntsok (17) and Lobsang Lhundup on July 10. Their whereabouts had remained unknown until the sentencing.
“They raised slogans and distributed pamphlets saying ‘Freedom for Tibet’, ‘Long Live H.H the Dalai Lama’, ‘Return of the Dalai Lama’ and ‘ May the Dalai Lama and all Tibetans unite soon’. All three youths were arrested and beaten severely,” TCHRD said.
“Samphel Dhondup was sentenced for organising the protest and disrupting public life,” the rights group said.
In another instance, Paljor, 38 from Ngaba, eastern Tibet was sentenced to three years in jail by a Chinese court in Sichuan for participating in anti-China protests in March earlier this year.
In a release today, the exile base of Kirti Monastery in Dharamshala said that Paljor was arrested a few days after the March 16 self immolation of 20-year old Kirti monk Phuntsog.
“Paljor is the only bread-winner of his household and news of his arrest was kept from his mother, a heart patient, for the last three months,” the release said.
According to Kanyag Tsering, a researcher at Kirti Monastery, several Tibetans from the Kirti region are still missing or remain in detention following the protests in March.
“Tseko (30), Dorje (16), Lobsang Jigme (30), Gephel (23), Lobsang Dharje (22), Gherig (60), and Kelsang (41) from Ngaba region are still in detention six months after arrest. We fear for their security and health as torture and inhuman treatment of prisoners is a common practice is Chinese jails,” Tsering said.
According to Jampel Monlam, Assistant Director, TCHRD, Tibet is witnessing heightened security control and systematic crackdown on political dissent.
“In the first eight months alone, we have received confirmed reports of atleast 150 known cases of arrests and atleast 30 known cases of sentencing of Tibetans,” Monlam said. “We believe the actual numbers to be much, much more.”
