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Chinese court jails eight Tibetans in Golog

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The Chinese People’s Court of Machen County in Golog jailed eight Tibetans for protesting the death of a Tibetan monk Tashi Sangpo of Ragya Monastery in March 2009. Jail terms given from left: Palden Gyatso, seven years; Sopa Sangpo, three years; Jamyang Khedrub and Sherab Sangpo, two years each; and, Gedun Ralo, one year.File photos/TCHRD handout

A Chinese court has sentenced eight Tibetans to varying prison terms for protesting the death of a Tibetan monk of Ragya Monastery in Golog in northeastern Tibet’s Amdo region in March, according to a report released by the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

The People’s Court of Machen County in Golog, in today’s Qinghai Province, gave six monks and two lay Tibetans prison terms ranging from six months to seven years for taking part in a protest following the death of Tashi Sangpo who committed suicide in March after an anti-government protest.

The court charged the eight people of “inciting protests” and demonstrating against the Chinese government following the suicide of Sangpo, the monk who took his own life by jumping into yellow river [Tib: Machu river] on 21 March.

Palden Gyatso, the 40-year-old disciplinarian at the monastery, received the longest sentence of seven years of rigorous imprisonment, while Tsultrim, a former disciplinarian of the monastery, was given four years.

Sopa Sangpo, the monastery’s ex-treasurer, was given three-year sentence, while Jamyang Khedrub and Sherab Sangpo were jailed for two years each.

The sixth monk Gendun Ralo was given one-year in prison.

The two lay people Hu-lo and Yang-kyab from Gya-sa village were given one-year and six-month terms.

In March, Tashi Sangpo reportedly joined a group of monks who removed a Chinese flag atop the main prayer hall of the monastery on 10 March, and instead placed a Tibetan flag.

Police have reportedly found a banned Tibetan flag and other ‘suspicious documents’ from his room.

Later he jumped into the yellow river and died.

Ragya monks believed that prolonged detention and torture of Tashi Sangpo since his arrest on 10 March last year forced the monk to commit suicide.

Following the news of Sangpo’s suicide, Ragya monks and local Tibetans gathered at the local Public Security Bureau office and demanded reason for Sangpo’s death.

Chinese authorities responded by arresting many monks of the monastery and other ordinary Tibetans.

Whereabouts of two monks arrested on the same day — Lobsang Dhargye and Mengag Dorje — still remain unknown.

Copyright © 2009 Tibet Sun

Published in Tibet Sun