On July 11, Tserang Dondrup (also known as Jortse) was reportedly released after a year in custody. According to local reports, he is in poor health, cannot walk or see and “his hands were not working.” His speech is also reportedly unintelligible.
Tserang Dondrup was arrested on May 7, 2002, and was sentenced to five years in prison. The charges against him and the reason for his release are not known. Prior to his arrest, he collected thousands of signatures on a petition in support of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a popular and high-ranking monk.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and Tashi Phuntsok remain in jail in connection with this case.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was arrested for “incitement to seperatism” and “crimes of terror” on April 7, 2002, and was sentenced to death on December 2, 2002, with a two-year reprieve.
He was held incommunicado for eight months until the day of the trial. After his sentencing, he reportedly began a hunger strike to protest his treatment in detention, which sources say has included torture, and because Chinese authorities have denied him a fair trial.
Tashi Phuntsok, a supporter of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, is in prison serving a seven-year term. No information is available about the charges against him or where he is being held.
He was at a hospital being treated for tuberculosis when he was arrested in April 2002. Due to his condition at the time of his arrest, there remains serious concern for his health and his access to medical treatment.
ICT members and others have taken thousands of online actions on these cases in the past months.