manfred nowak

03/04/2013 News

Prominent political prisoner in critical condition on release after 17 years

A prominent Tibetan political prisoner, Jigme Gyatso, 52, was released recently after completing his 17 years’ prison term, according to exile Tibetan sources.

After his release, he is said to be in poor health struggling with multiple medical problems including weak eyesight, heart complications, kidney disorder and difficulty walking: all unmistakable signs that he had undergone years of torture, mistreatment and beatings during his imprisonment.

In April 2009, TCHRD issued an urgent statement calling for Jigme Gyatso’s release on medical grounds, after learning that Gyatso was seriously ill.[i] TCHRD’s concerns were based on the long history of Gyatso’s mistreatment and torture in detention centres and prisons in Tibet. Moreover, in February 2009, when relatives met Gyatso at Drapchi Prison Hospital, he appeared very frail and was suffering from a kidney problem. He could only walk with his back bended.

29/11/2005 News

Mass silent protest in Tibet’s Drepung Monastery following China’s continued implementation of “patriotic education”

Drepung Monastery in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital is currently under intense restrictions following a crackdown order issued by the “Tibet Autonomous Region” (“TAR”) government authorities on monks sitting on mass silent protest, according to confirmed information received by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD). Reportedly the situation is tense and the monastery under tight control by the Chinese authorities.

Since the first week of October 2005, “work team” officials have been conducting the “patriotic education” campaign in the monastery. During the Campaign, on 23 November 2005, the monks were ordered to sign a document denouncing the Dalai Lama as a “separatist” and to pledge their loyalty to the Chinese government by accepting “Tibet as a part of China”. The monks showed their disagreement to the official directive and refused to sign the document. Among the monks, five showed strong reactions against the document and the officials. They were immediately expelled from the monastery and handed over to the Public Security Bureau (PSB) Detention Centres in their respective places of origin.

09/11/2005 News

Memorandum to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture visiting Tibet and China

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) welcomes the UN Special Rapporteur’s forthcoming visit to Tibet and China from 21 November to 2 December 2005. The Centre strongly supports and attaches great importance to the much awaited visit by the expert in order to gain first hand information of the true picture of the torture situation in Tibet and China.

On the eve of the visit, TCHRD urges the UN expert to investigate the widespread and systematic use of torture within Tibet’s prison, detention centres, labour camps and other detention facilities. The Centre pleads the expert to especially investigate the treatment of political prisoners since cases of extreme torture against them are often reported.