China extends Tibetan environmental activist A-Nya Sengdra’s sentence

Tenzin Nyidon 

DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 29: Prominent Tibetan community leader and environmental activist A-Nya Sengdra, who was scheduled to complete his seven-year prison term next month, has had his sentence extended by Chinese authorities, Tibet Watch reported.

Sengdra, known for campaigning against corruption, illegal mining, and poaching in his native Golok region of eastern Tibet, was expected to be released in September. However, sources revealed that he has been charged with another alleged offence while in prison, extending his release date until February 2026.

The activist, a nomad by background and a respected figure in his community, has spent much of his incarceration incommunicado. In mid-August, his family was permitted their first visit this year. The meeting came after last year’s rare visit, the first in six years, which lasted only a few minutes. Family members expressed grave concern for his deteriorating health, given his frail appearance during these brief encounters.

International concern over his case has been longstanding. In 2020, nine UN human rights experts called on Beijing to drop all charges and release him, warning that his imprisonment amounted to “the criminalisation of the legitimate work of a minority community member and human rights defender” and raised alarm over his declining physical and mental condition under poor detention circumstances.

Sengdra was arrested in September 2018 by Gade County Public Security Bureau in Qinghai province (Amdo) and charged with “gathering people to disturb public order” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” Rights groups maintain these accusations were fabricated to silence his environmental and community leadership. His lawyer at the time argued that the charges were part of a broader campaign targeting Tibetans under the guise of cracking down on so-called “underworld forces.”

Despite three appeals for a retrial, China’s courts have refused to review his case. His lawyer, Lin Qilei, wrote on social media in November 2024, “As usual, I filled out the necessary forms and waited in line. After some time, a judge came out and informed me that they had decided not to review Sengdra’s case. He advised me not to return to the court regarding this matter in the future.”