Tibet
Today:
Press Release
According to a confirmed report, a 22 years old monk named Jigme Phuntsok hailing from Luchu village in Amdo Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) died in Na Gormo (Ch: Golmud) prison on June 22. Following the monk's custodial death, the authorities declined to hand over the dead body of the deceased to his family members unless they signed a document claiming cause of his death due to some disease. When refused to sign the document, the authorities cremated the dead body of the monk without returning it back to the family members. Monk Jigme Phuntsok was a monk at Drepung Monastery in Lhasa and was shifted to Gormo prison after his arrest in the monastery. It is learnt that there are many Amdo monks incarcerated in Gormo prisons who were earlier arrested in Lhasa. On June 15, the authorities in Kanlho TAP (Ch: Haibei) in Gansu province sentenced two monks to 15 and 13 years of prison terms. The monks, Tenzin, 44 years old and Tenzin Gyatso, 24 years belonged to Tashi Choekhorling monastery in Chone (Ch: Zhuo ni) county in Khanlho TAP. Tenzin has been charged with leading the anti-govt. protest in March whereas Tenzin Gyatso has been charged with the crime of replacing the Chinese Red Flag with banned Tibetan Flag in a school in Dokhor tonwship. As is the case with all Tibetan political prisoners, both the monks were also deprived of hiring independent lawyers to defend themselves without any respect for transparency and fair judicial trial. It is learnt that more Tibetans prisoners in Chone county would soon be tried, among whom include monks Tenzin (23), Legshey (23), Woser (20) and five other lay Tibetans whose names could not be confirmed. In Kham Karze (Ch: Ganzi), contingents of "patriotic reeducation" work teams have been dispatched to each township in the county to warn the people against any anti-government protests. According to sources, the work team members threatened the local Tibetans with outright massacre if they rise against the govt., saying, "we will kill one if one rises, and two if two rises". On June 10, Chinese security officials raided Sey monastery in Amdo Ngapa county (Ch: Aba) leading to few arrests. The security forces searched the whole monastery and monk's quarter smashing and destroying the portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The security forces again came to the monastery on 11 and 12 June harassing even the monks who were in retreat and forcing the younger monks to quit the monastery. With such harassment and forcible expulsion, the monastery is on the verge of becoming completely empty. Tibetan Solidarity Committee In view of the ongoing critical situation inside Tibet, we urge the United Nations and the International community and organizations to the following urgent needs:
- Tibetan Solidarity Committee
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