Chinese authorities have sentenced an elderly Tibetan man and disappeared two others even as crisis escalated following protests against Chinese flag-raising campaign in Diru (Ch: Biru) County in Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
According to information received by TCHRD, a Tibetan layman called Dayang, 68, was sentenced to two years and five months for shouting slogans for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Tibetan freedom at a cultural show in Tsachu Township in Diru County. On 3 September 2013, during a cultural show organised by the Chinese authorities in Tsachu, where Tibetans were required to wave Chinese flags and appear happy, Dayang raised slogans challenging the spectacle of forced happiness on local Tibetans.
The same day, Dayang who hails from Dongla Rudo Village in Tsachu Township was allowed to return home. But at around 2 am, a group of Public Security Bureau officials suddenly entered Dayang’s house and took him away as other officers put a cloth over his wife’s head. For the next few days, the whereabout of Dayang remained unknown until it was learned that he was admitted at Diru County hospital getting treatment for injuries he sustained during his secret detention. On 7 October 2013, more than a month after his disappearance, he was taken to Lhasa People’s Hospital for further treatment. Sources said Dayang is kept under strict watch and no one is allowed to visit him. The details of his injuries also remain unknown.