China: End Incommunicado Detention of Tibetans in Ngaba County 

Chinese authorities have arbitrarily detained two young Tibetans, Tsukte (popularly known as Asang) and Pelkyong, after they performed a cover of a song honoring the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday earlier this month. Their whereabouts remain unknown weeks after their detention.

Asang and Pelkyong were both detained in early July from Adue Village in Ngaba (Ch: Aba) County, Sichuan Province. The arrests came shortly after the duo publicly released a cover of the song “Prince of Peace” on the Chinese video-sharing platform Kuaishou. The song, Prince of Peace, originally performed in 2006 by Tibetan singer Sherten with lyrics by Arig Chöten Thar, is known for its reverential content about the Dalai Lama’s life and legacy. The cover version by Asang gained traction from the public before being deleted from the platform. Asang’s Kuaishou account has since been disabled.

Asang is a young and widely admired Tibetan singer belonging to the Naktsang family of Camp No. 4 in Kashul Village, Barma Township in Ngaba County. He is known for songs that promote Tibetan language, culture, and religion. He is a student of Gebey, a well-known dhunglen artist previously subjected to repeated detentions for his music.

Asang, who is married and has a young child, is also expecting another child with his wife, Lhamo. Since his incommunicado detention, Lhamo has been in severe emotional distress. Authorities have failed to provide her with any legal or procedural information about his whereabouts or condition. 

Pelkyong, who hails from Adue Village has been married for over three years and is the father of a young child.

In a related case, a Tibetan monk named Tsewang Dhongo from Adue Monastery in Ngaba County was detained around 1 July 2025 for posting an image of a symbolic hat commemorating the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday on social media. More than four weeks have passed since his arrest, yet there is no information about his location or condition. Dhongo, who joined the monastery as a child, was studying Madhyamaka (Middle Way) philosophy at the time of his detention.

These recent detentions are part of a relentless campaign by Chinese authorities to suppress and criminalize Tibetan artistic and cultural expression, as well as any form of reverence for His Holiness the Dalai Lama. TCHRD documented similar cases in 2022, including the detention of five Tibetans, among them a singer and musician, for performing songs online celebrating the Dalai Lama’s birthday. In another case, also reported by TCHRD in 2023, Tibetan singer Palden was sentenced to three years in prison for a song titled Tsunpai Metok (The Flowery Decoration of Youth), which was perceived by authorities as indirectly referencing the Dalai Lama.

Such cases illustrate how any form of public reverence toward the Dalai Lama, even through art or indirect references, is treated as a political offense in Tibet. The authorities often use broad and vaguely defined charges such as “inciting separatism” or “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” to detain individuals engaging in peaceful cultural expression.

The lack of due process, prolonged incommunicado detention, and refusal to notify families or provide legal representation are violations of numerous international human rights obligations.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy calls on the Chinese authorities to immediately disclose the whereabouts of Asang, Pelkyong, and Tsewang Dhongo and cease the criminalization of cultural and religious expression, particularly relating to the Dalai Lama.