Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, Sep 4: A coalition of 147 Tibet-related organisations and members of the International Tibet Network has issued a strong statement condemning China’s escalating crackdown on Tibetan environmental defenders, cultural advocates, and community leaders.
The statement released on Wednesday comes in response to the arbitrary extension of Tibetan activist A-Nya Sengdra’s prison sentence, which rights groups say underscores Beijing’s determination to silence dissent.
A-Nya Sengdra, a respected community leader from Gade County, Golog, Amdo province, eastern Tibet, was arrested on September 4, 2018, and sentenced to seven years in prison on 6 December 2019 for his efforts to combat corruption and protect fragile ecosystems. He was due to be released this month, but authorities have extended his sentence until February 2026 without explanation.
Awarded the 2022 Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage, Sengdra has suffered serious deterioration in his physical and mental health during detention. Multiple UN human rights experts have repeatedly urged Beijing to release him, describing his imprisonment as the “criminalisation of the legitimate work of a minority community member and human rights defender.”
“This sentence extension is an act of intimidation meant to break Tibetan civil society,” the joint statement declared, stressing that Sengdra’s case is emblematic of a broader campaign to suppress environmental and cultural defenders across Tibet.
The crackdown has intensified in recent months. In August, scholar monk Shersang Gyatso died by suicide at his monastery in Ba County following raids and restrictions on religious practices ahead of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday. That same month, Gonpo Kyi, sister of imprisoned businessman Dorjee Tashi, attempted to protest by jumping from the second floor of her brother’s hotel in Lhasa after authorities refused to let her meet her brother and detained her in the hotel. Dorjee Tashi, serving a life sentence on politically motivated charges, has consistently maintained his innocence despite torture during interrogation.
In July, young Tibetan singer Asang was detained after posting a tribute song to the Dalai Lama online. While he has since been released, he remains barred from social media. Environmental activist Tsongon Tsering, detained in October 2024 for exposing illegal mining, is under tight surveillance despite his release. Cultural defenders such as Go Sherab Gyatso and Tashi Wangchuk have also faced imprisonment, intimidation, and torture for their advocacy.
Human rights experts say these cases reflect a systematic attempt to erode Tibetan community leadership and silence voices defending Tibetan land, language, and traditions.
The collective of Tibet rights groups urged governments and international institutions to take decisive action. “There is a moral, legal, and political obligation to demand the immediate release of A-Nya Sengdra, Dorjee Tashi, Tsongon Tsering, and all Tibetan human rights defenders,” the statement declared. “Silence in the face of such injustice is complicity. The world must act now.”
