News and Views on Tibet

Former Tibetan political prisoner dies of imprisonment-related injuries

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Former Political Prisoner Tsering Bagdro in an undated photo (Photo courtesy- ICT)
Former Political Prisoner Tsering Bagdro in an undated photo (Photo courtesy- ICT)

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, May 5: A former Tibetan political prisoner, Tsering Bagdro, who served 8 years in prison for carrying out a protest in Lhasa against the Chinese policies against the Dalai Lama and Tibet has reportedly died in occupied Tibet last month aged 51. His death on April 26, 2020 in Gyama Village of Maldro Gongkar County, Tibetan Autonomous Region was confirmed by two anonymous sources from Tibet, advocacy group International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) said Monday.

His death is linked to the injuries and deteriorated health conditions, with which he was released upon the completion of his sentence. After eight years in Chinese prison where torture and poor nutrition is a norm, Bagdro remained in poor health until his death.

A former monk in Ganden monastery, Bagdro along with other protestors carried out a demonstration in the capital on June 10, 1992, with the banned Tibetan national flag in their hands as they shouted slogans of independence and called for the long life of exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They were immediately arrested by the Chinese police and put in detention at the Gutsa Detention Centre.

He was sentenced by the Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court on November 1992 for a period of eight years, followed by deprivation of political rights for two years. He served the prison term in Drapchi prison’s Unit 5 in Lhasa which has gained notoriety for its mistreatment of Tibetan political prisoners.

A former political prisoner in exile informed ICT anonymously that Tsering Bagdro was considered the main instigator of the protest by the police as he received the longest-serving prison term compared to others who were imprisoned for lesser duration.

After his release on June 9, 2000, he remained under strict surveillance by the state. “He was not really free even after his release, though. Like other former political prisoners, he lived under constant surveillance by the Chinese authorities, and his movements, activities, and speeches were restricted,” an anonymous source told RFA.

Bagdro joins a long list of Tibetans who have died years after their imprisonment due to injuries and ailments related to inhuman prison conditions and poor treatment in Chinese government jails across occupied Tibet. .

 

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