By Annie Guo
Students were given the opportunity Wednesday night to hear tales of a monk’s struggle for freedom from a Chinese prison.
Geshe Lobsang Tenpa, a former student of political prisoner Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, titled his address: “Religious Repression in Tibet: The Case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche.” Students for a Free Tibet sponsored the discussion.
“I am highly honored to be here to speak to you as a witness,” Tenpa said. “Most of you are people who grew up with many political and religious freedoms. You use your freedom to help those without it. I respect you and thank you very much for that.”
Tenpa officially became a student of religious leader Rinpoche in 1985 and they maintained a close relationship for decades, he said.
Rinpoche wanted to revive Buddhism and hoped to bring peace and stability to the country, Tenpa said. In December 2002, he was accused of being connected to bombings in Sichuan and was given a death sentence with a two-year reprieve.
“The trial was unfair,” Tenpa said. “It was a secret trial, with no press or outside people. The Chinese government claimed Rinpoche admitted to involvement with the bombings. Usually the government would say this is the crime and these are the witnesses. But not in this case, it was very obvious that there was no evidence and no witnesses.”
Many activists protested Rinpoche’s conviction. SFT has been working with other international organizations in the “Free Tenzin Delek Rinpoche” campaign.
“Our chapter has been working on this campaign for two years,” chapter Coordinator Trischa Splitter said. “This is an international-wide effort, along with Amnesty International and a number of other international organizations.”
In January 2005, the Chinese government commuted Rinpoche’s sentence from death to life in prison.
“This campaign has helped save his life,” Tenpa said. “It was a huge victory for the Tibet movement but at the same time it is incomplete because he was an innocent man and there is no reason for him to be in prison for even one day.”
Tenpa said Rinpoche’s fight is not over.
“Although this victory is incomplete, it is encouraging to see young people like you fighting for us,” he said. “Thanks to groups like yours, this change has been made possible. It has nothing to do with the mercy or compassion of the Chinese government that his life has been saved.”
Tenpa has toured Europe holding similar presentations and participating in demonstrations.
“You could see his passion,” SFT Midwest Regional Coordinator Lindsey Rieger said. “To have one of (Rinpoche’s) students come in, someone who has worked so closely to him and known him so personally, is very effective in getting the message across to college students.”
Splitter said events such as this expose students to troubles outside the United States.
“It’s important for college students to be aware that there are people being oppressed outside of our city and outside of our state,” she said. “All of SFT’s work is so positive. The Tibetan struggle is a nonviolent struggle. SFT does a lot of direct action and hard-core campaigning that makes me feel like I am being useful. In a movement helping people so far away, our local efforts feel important.”
