China jails two Tibetan monks in separate lone protest cases

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Lobsang Tenpa in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy: RFA)
Lobsang Tenpa in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy: RFA)

(TibetanReview.net, Nov11, 2014) – A Chinese court in Barkham (Chinese: Ma’erkang) County of Ngaba (Aba) Prefecture, Sichuan Province, has on Nov 7 jailed two young Tibetan Buddhist monks who had carried out separate lone protests in Apr 2014. Lobsang Gyatso, 20, has been jailed for three years and Lobsang Tenpa, 19, for two years. Both are monks of Kirti Monastery in the prefecture’s Ngaba County.

Lobsang Gyatso had, on Apr 2, carried out a protest march on the street of Ngaba County, carrying a self-drawn banned snow-lion flag of Tibet and shouting slogans. He was reported to have called for “freedom in Tibet” and the return Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. He was arrested on Apr 15.

Apart from Ngaba Moanstery, he belongs to Village No. 3 of Meruma Township in Ngaba County.

Lobsang Gyatso in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy: RFA)
Lobsang Gyatso in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy: RFA)

Lobsang Tenpa had, on Apr 26, staged a protest march along the main street of Ngaba County leading towards the County administration centre, wearing a bandana with a hand-drawn snow-lion flag of Tibet and carrying a large portrait of the Dalai Lama while shouting slogans. He too called for freedom in Tibet and the Dalai Lama’s return. He was held within minutes of starting his protest.

Aaprt from Ngaba Monastery, he belongs to Village No. 2 of Meruma Township in Ngaba County. He was denied a proper legal representation although his family was allowed to attend the court hearing.

Both the monks had remained disappeared after their arrests. Barkham is the seat of Ngaba Prefecture.

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