Dharamshala, 29th September: A Tibetan monk who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for criticizing Chinese control in Tibet was released two years early, but RFA’s Tibetan sources say he is in poor condition as a result of his severe treatment behind bars. Thabgey Gyatso, 46, was freed in September after serving 12 years in prison.
Thabgey Gyatso was sentenced to 12 years in prison for leading protests in Lhasa in 2008, during which time he was subjected to physical torture. Gyatso, a Sangchu county citizen, was detained during protests in Lhasa in 2008 and convicted to 15 years in prison on May 21, 2009, for leading demonstrators and contacting India-based parties supporting Tibetan independence.
His whereabouts were unknown for about a year following his detention, but he was eventually sent to a prison in Peyan, Gansu, with his cellmate Kelsang Gyatso, where they were forced to work at hard labor. In 2018, he was admitted to the Tenshi Prison Hospital in Gansu due to bad health. Tibetan detainees in serious condition are often released before the conclusion of their sentence, with at least seven documented deaths from torture-related injuries in the last year, either in prison or after their release.
Other Cases:
Following his release from prison, a Tibetan writer died after eight years of failing health. In 2010, Ra Tsering Dhondup was sentenced to three years in prison for publishing writings critical of China’s Tibet policies. In February 2010, Dhondup was imprisoned for publishing a journal critical of China’s communist regime. He was first jailed at Barkham before being transferred to Mianyang Prison to serve the remainder of his three-year sentence. He was released in 2013, but his health was failing, and he died of liver illness later that year.
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