Dharamshala, 6th September: Dhondup Dorjee, a former political prisoner, died in Lhasa. According to the CTA’s sources, Dorjee (74), who spent years in prison for advocating for Tibetan people’s human rights, passed away on August 25. While the exact reason for his death is unknown, it has been noted that he suffered from leg difficulties.

In 1989, Dorjee was named Section Head of the Lhasa Meteorological Bureau. He was elevated as Chief of the Nagchu Meteorological Bureau two years later. Even being a member of the Chinese Communist Party, he pushed for the Tibetan people’s basic human rights while in Nagchu.

He was arrested in Nagchu by officers from the Lhasa Intelligence Bureau on May 14, 1992, for his vocal calls for Tibetan rights. Chinese authorities stormed his Lhasa home, seizing and destroying the majority of his personal things, including property records. According to the CTA, he was sentenced to two years and eight months in Seitru and Gutsa prisons before being freed in January 1995.

Dhondup Dorjee was demoted from his position as Chief of the Nagchu Meteorological Bureau after his release. Dhondup Dorjee attempted to recover his work on May 18, 1995 but was only given a temporary position as a gardener. He was paid only 300 yuan per month, despite earning 1700 yuan per month before his incarceration. The Nagchu Meteorological Bureau was then ordered by Chinese authorities to fire Dorjee in January 1996, citing his previous political records. He was also stripped of his party membership, as well as all of his other rights and benefits. “He will be offered a post by the Dalai Lama and the United Nations because he is really committed to the Dalai Lama,” the authorities added. Following that, he began working as a low-wage construction laborer.

Dhondup Dorjee was from Lhalu, a Tibetan neighborhood in Lhasa. Penpa Dolma, his younger daughter, and his wife survive him in Tibet. Penpa Dolma was denied admission to university around the time her father was arrested because she came from a family of “political radicals.” Tsering Dekyi, the oldest daughter, fled to India and stayed in Dharamshala before going to Australia, where she currently resides.

Dhondup Dorjee, a graduate of Beijing Nationalities University. Dorjee was from Lhasa’s Lhalu neighborhood. Penpa Dolma, his younger daughter, and his wife survive him in Tibet.

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