DHARAMSHALA, August 8: The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy has reiterated its call for an independent and impartial investigation into the mysterious death in Chinese prison of a prominent Tibetan Lama serving a life sentence.
The only rights group run by Tibetans, in a press release on Friday, said the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has a legal obligation to carry out the investigation to determine the circumstances leading to the death of Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche last month.
The rights group based here urged the local Chinese authorities to lift the communication ban on Rinpoche’s family members and ease restrictions on local Tibetans and the monasteries founded by Rinpoche.
“Chinese authorities have failed to launch an investigation into the death in detention case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a highly-revered and popular Tibetan reincarnate lama and a social activist, who died last month in the 13th year of his life imprisonment at Chuangdong Prison near Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province,” said TCHRD in the release.
According to the TCHRD, Chinese authorities had detained Tulku’s sister and niece for two weeks before releasing them on July 30. Though no charges have been filed against the two women, TCHRD said family and friends of the Tibetan philanthropist monk fear that the two women had been “subjected to beatings, intimidation and possibly torture during the almost two-week detention.”
Following their release, local Chinese authorities have barred family members from contacting their relatives who live outside Tibet. Cellular phones of the two women and other family members were taken by local authorities and all outgoing calls and incoming calls from outside Tibet blocked. “As of now, Rinpoche’s family members and relatives in Nyagchukha can only communicate among themselves. Local police have also warned them against initiating any gatherings to discuss about the matter.”
The rights group further said restrictions on communication channels have also been imposed in and around Nyagchukha, Tulku’s home town. “Chinese troops have also been deployed at Rinpoche’s monasteries to stop lay Tibetans from attending prayers sessions in honor of Rinpoche at these monasteries.”
Since the news of Tulku’s death broke out, monasteries in the area have been thronged by local Tibetans for prayers sessions, according to the TCHRD release. “But now they have been barred from attending prayers since 17 July.”
Peaceful protesters calling for the release of his body had been shot at, beaten up and hospitalized, TCHRD alleged. Four Tibetans who were carrying the remains of Tulku were stopped at Chaksam (Ch: Luding) County by a police who told them that the Chinese central government had issued orders to stop the remains from reaching his hometown.
