Five ‘disappeared’ Tibetans sentenced to varying prison terms
Months after their arbitrary detention and disappearance, five Tibetan monks from Drango Monastery have been sentenced to varying terms of six to seven years for their alleged involvement in 23 January 2012 protest in Drango (Ch: Luhuo) County of Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.
According to confirmed information received by TCHRD, Tulku Lobsang Tenzin, 40, a reincarnated lama and abbot of Gochen Monastery was sentenced to seven years in prison. Drango Monastery’s teacher Geshe Tsewang Namgyal, 42, and accountant Tashi Thupwang aka Dralha, 31, were sentenced to six years. The monastery’s shop manager Thinlay was sentenced to five years. Geshe Tenzin Palsang aka Tenga, senior caretaker of the monastery, was sentenced to six years.
Geshe Lobsang Tenzin, along with Geshe Tsewang Namgyal, Dralha and Thinlay were detained from an Internet café in Chengdu in late January. Since then, they had remained disappeared for about ten months until their recent sentencing. Geshe Tenzin Palsang was detained and disappeared on 2 April in Drango.
The family members and relatives of the monks said an Intermediate People’s Court in Tridu (Ch: Chengdu) city passed the sentences. The news of the sentencing reached the monks’ families after about 15 days, sources told TCHRD. No details are available on the exact charges used to pass the sentences.
Three known Tibetans, Yonten Sangpo, Tashi Dhargye and Namgyal Dhondup remain missing after their detention following the 23 January protest in Drango.
Chinese security forces engaged in disproportionate use of force to suppress the 23 January protest by shooting unarmed protesters. Six known Tibetans died and 43 sustained serious injuries.
To date, over 36 Tibetans have been sentenced to either life imprisonment or one year and eight months in prison, according to the source.
Sources say since the appointment of a new party secretary in Kardze, a new policy has been introduced under which special cadres have been assigned the work of monitoring the activities of Tibetans in Kardze Prefecture. These ‘permanent’ cadres have been given the responsibility to prevent self-immolation, preempt public gatherings and stem ‘leaking state secrets’ to outsiders.
