(TibetanReview.net, Aug11’22) – Chinese police in Qinghai Province had taken away and tortured for seven months a Tibetan Buddhist monk for having shared photos he had allegedly taken of a fellow-Tibetan who had staged a protest self-immolation in May 2013, said Dharamsala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy Aug 10, citing information received very belatedly from the tightly censored Tibetan territory under Chinese rule.
The report said Tseta, 25, the discipline master of Adil Monastery in Chumarleb (Chinese: Qumalai) County of Kyegu (Yushu) Prefecture was taken away for having allegedly taken photos of Tenzin Sherab, 33, who had carried out the self-immolation in the local area and for sharing them with others.
The self-immolator died from his injuries.
The monk was subjected to severe beatings and torture in custody and forced to confess his role in making the information about the self-immolation public, the centre said.
Apart from that, the Chinese authorities deployed a large body of armed police at Adril Monastery and issued stern orders that it would be closed if any other monk was found engaging in “splittist activities”.
The monks were stated to have been subjected to a series of political education sessions and forced to “profess” gratitude and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.
County police were stated to have accused Tseta of colluding with two of the deceased’s sisters, Thubten Dolma and Jigkay, to take photos of his body after it was handed over to the family members.
Tseta was stated to have lost his mobile phone containing the photos in the crowd that surrounded the funeral rituals at Sherab’s home and the police failed to find it despite making utmost efforts.
Tseta was also stated to have been accused of distorting the facts by calling Tenzin Sherab “suicide”, as falsely depicted by police, as “self-immolation”.
The centre did not say whether Tseta was tried and sentenced or whether he is now free.