By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, June 16: Tibetan writer Thupten Lodoe is severely ill after being subjected to forced labour in prison, according to a Dharamshala based research group Tibet Watch. Last month researchers learned that Thupten Lodoe, also known as Sabuchey (pen name) was transferred to a hospital from prison, but the date of transfer, the hospital’s name, and whether he remains there are unknown.
Sabuchey is a Tibetan scholar well versed in both traditional and modern education; he is known for his prolific writing frequently published on websites and other online platforms in Tibet. He wrote in Tibetan and Chinese and much of his writings focussed on various socio-economic subjects and issues relevant to the situation in Tibet. He is considered one of the most influential and respected writers of his generation.
Thupten Lodoe was born in 1987 in Bum-nying village in Dzachuka. After completing his studies in China, he returned to Tibet and worked for many years as a teacher at the Tibetan middle school in Sershul County.
Sabuchey was detained in October 2021 by Chinese officers and was held at an undisclosed location for over eight months until he was handed a prison sentence of four years and five months in June 2022 after being found guilty of trumped-up charges of “inciting separatism” and “picking quarrels and provoking troubles.”
In 2022, TCHRD researchers after carefully studying Subucheys work dating back to 2016 found that most of his writings were analyses and opinion writings related to “social and livelihood issues, language and economic condition, as well as traditional and modern knowledge systems,” and argued that none of his writings broke any Chinese laws. Following his detention, authorities seized his computer device, which was then used as “evidence” for his so-called crimes against the state.
In 2021 alone, around ten Tibetan writers and noted figures like Go Sherab Gyatso, Dhi Lhaden, Rinchen Tsultrim and Rongwo Gendun Lhundup among others were also charged with “inciting separatism”. In Tibet, the Chinese authorities have been using vague but blanket allegations such as inciting thoughts and emotions that are deemed “separatist” by the Chinese state to supress and persecute Tibetan scholars, writers and intellectuals.
