Renewed Calls on China to Allow Independent Probe into Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s Death
A decade has passed since the death in custody of Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a highly respected Tibetan Buddhist lama and community leader. Yet, Chinese authorities have failed to launch an independent, transparent investigation or hold anyone accountable for the gross violations of his human rights. The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) renews its call for a full, impartial investigation into the circumstances of Rinpoche’s death and urges UN member states to press the Chinese government for truth, justice, and accountability.
Tulku Tenzin Delek Thupten Choekyi Nyima, widely known as A-Nga Tashi, was born in 1950 in Lithang County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province. Ordained as a monk at the age of seven, he received his formal religious training from Khensur Shakpa and later met the 10th Panchen Lama in 1978. With his support, Rinpoche was granted permission to establish a monastery, named Kham Nalanda Thekchen Jhangchup Choling. In 1983, His Holiness the Dalai Lama officially recognized him as the reincarnation of Geshe Adham Phuntsok.
Upon his return to Tibet in 1987, Rinpoche engaged in wide-ranging community service, founding seven monasteries, a hospital, an old age home, and a school for orphans and children from impoverished families in Nyagchuka County. His deep commitment to environmental protection and the preservation of Tibetan religion and culture made him one of the most beloved and trusted figures in the region. His popularity, combined with his outspoken criticism of Chinese policies, drew intense scrutiny from state authorities.
On 7 April 2002, Chinese police arrested Rinpoche in connection with a series of unexplained bombings in the region, accusations he categorically denied. The prosecution relied heavily on coerced confessions and circumstantial evidence. His nephew and disciple, Lobsang Dhondup, was also arrested and later executed. On 5 December 2002, Rinpoche was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, a sentence that was later commuted to life imprisonment after significant international pressure.
Throughout his 13 years in prison, Rinpoche was subjected to torture, solitary confinement, and denial of medical care. Repeated appeals for his release on medical grounds were ignored. On 12 July 2015, he died under mysterious circumstance in Chuandong Prison in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Chinese authorities cremated his body within hours, under heavy security, and denied his family the right to an independent autopsy or traditional Tibetan Buddhist funeral rites.
Despite calls from the international community, the Chinese government has refused to initiate or allow any independent inquiry into his death. His case remains emblematic of the broader impunity and repression facing Tibetans and other ethnic and religious minorities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The Chinese government’s treatment of Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche from his arbitrary arrest and unfair trial to his death in custody, violated key international human rights standards that China is bound by as a party or signatory.
Rinpoche’s reported torture and mistreatment contravened Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and China’s obligations under the Convention Against Torture, which it ratified in 1988. His prolonged denial of medical care and the absence of an independent investigation into his death further breach the Convention’s core provisions.
As a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, China is obligated not to defeat its object and purpose. Yet Rinpoche was denied protections under Articles 6, 9, and 10, which guarantee the right to life, protection from arbitrary detention, and humane treatment of prisoners.
China also violated Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which ensures the right to the highest attainable standard of health. Rinpoche’s case reflects a systemic pattern of medical neglect toward Tibetan political prisoners.
The failure to hold anyone accountable for Rinpoche’s death has only emboldened further repression in Tibet. Instead of treating his case as a moment of reckoning, the Chinese authorities have intensified crackdowns on religious leaders, environmental advocates, and community leaders. Broad national security laws are routinely weaponized to criminalize peaceful activism and religious practice. Surveillance, censorship, arbitrary detention, and forced disappearances have become widespread tools of control in Tibetan areas.
This ongoing impunity underscores the need for international pressure and sustained advocacy to make sure Rinpoche’s case do not fade into obscurity.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) urges the Chinese government to facilitate a full, impartial, and internationally monitored investigation into the death of Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche in custody. China must uphold its international obligations under the Convention Against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and other relevant human rights instruments. TCHRD further calls on the Chinese authorities to end the ongoing persecution of Tibetan religious figures and human rights defenders, and to stop using overly broad national security charges to suppress peaceful expression and dissent.
