Aug 28, 2014

Tibet: Tibetan Monk Kept in Prison for Unknown Charges


A Tibetan monk, Tsultrim Nyendak, who has been missing since his arrest one year ago, has received a sentence for 9 years in prison for unknown charges. Despite his poor health condition, he was kept in prison and his family’s requests to release him were denied. Since 2013, many Tibetan monks were targeted and arrested on false grounds in the name of so-called “mass line’’ campaign in 2013.

Below is an article published by The Tibet Post:

Dharamshala: - Sources coming out of Tibet say a senior Tibetan monk who went missing for eight months since his arbitrary arrest last December [2014] has been sentenced to 9-years' imprisonment. "Tsultrim Nyendak, 40, a senior teacher from Rabten Monastery in Tsachu Township in Driru County (Chinese: Biru County in Naqu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), was sentenced to 9 years' in prison by an Intermediate People's Court in Lhasa," Samdup, a Tibetan from Belgium told The Tibet Post International (TPI) on Tuesday [26 August 2014].

"Locals claimed he was too weak and the Chinese authorities have denied requests from family members and relatives, urging for the release of Nyendak in order to get medical treatment." 'Despite his critical health condition, Nyendak is currently serving his sentence in Chushul Prison on the outskirt of Lhasa city,' Samdup said, citing sources in the region dated July 31 [2014].

TPI had previously reported the Chinese police arrest of Nyendak, a senior monk from Rabten Monastery in Tsachu Township. However, the source said that 'details about trial date and charges are still unknown, making it difficult to conclude whether Nyendak was held illegally for nearly a year before his sentencing. 'It is also unknown whether or not the Chinese authorities informed his family members about the prison sentence that had supposedly taken place prior to the sentencing,' according to the sources.

 It was previously reported that hundreds of Tibetans, including Buddhist monks have been targeted, arrested or disappeared since crackdown began in 2013 in Driru County in the name of Chinese president Xi Jinping's "mass line" campaign last year. Many are targeted and arrested on false pretext and the fate of many more remain unknown due to restrictions on communication lines.