By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, December 5: A Tibetan political prisoner has been released after completion of his prison sentence of three years on December 1 in Machu County.
Jinpa Gyatso, a senior monk from the Mura Mayul Samten Choekhor Ling Monastery in Machu County, arrived at his hometown on Thursday (Dec.3 ) as monks and the local people lined up on the roadside to welcomed him with traditional Tibetan ceremonial scarves (Khata).
The 43 year-old was arrested on October 24, 2012 and sentenced on April 2013 for propagating information of the inhuman treatment by the Chinese officials outside Tibet and distributing his paper ‘Manifesto of Truth’ in Machu County.
According to sources, he was subjected to immense torture while he was imprisoned in Baiyin City of Jingyuan County in Gansu Province to such an extent he had lost all his hair due to the harsh nature of the torture. The same source said Jinpa appeared physically weak.
Jinpa was actively involved in the preservation and promotion of Tibetan language. He also formed a society in 2009 for the revival of the Tibetan language. He stressed on the need for each and every Tibetan to speak in pure Tibetan and took out time to teach Tibetan language. During winter breaks, his society also gave classes and workshops on Tibetan language to students.
Jinpa, along with his associates, began publishing a newspaper dedicated to printing articles and essays in Tibetan language. The Chinese authorities banned the newspaper citing ‘political reasons’, which also led to his arrest on March 30, 2012.
