By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, June 2: Tibetan activist arrested for advocating a norm of ‘teaching Tibetan language in schools across Tibet’ is currently detained in Yushu Detention Centre in Kyegudo, his lawyer Liang Xiaojun said.
According to Free Tibet, a London-based activist group, the Chinese human rights lawyer is now working on Tashi Wangchuk’s case. The family had earlier complained that they were unable to find a local lawyer to represent him.
The Tibetan entrepreneur was charged with ‘inciting separatism’ and was arrested on January 27. A short documentary video along with a news report about his arrest was carried by the New York Times around the time of his arrest.
The documentary showed Tashi’s journey to Beijing and visiting Chinese media and people’s court to file a lawsuit calling for the implementation of Chinese legal provisions that guarantee rights to Tibetan language education.
Tashi was detained secretly for several weeks without the knowledge of his family, who were denied permission to meet him despite several attempts. Whereas, he was charged only on March 30 with ‘inciting separatism’ and his trial dates are yet to be confirmed.
He has earlier been detained twice for his attempt to go to India on a pilgrimage in 2012 for posting comments condemning the authorities in a land grab case.
The 30-year-old activist believes that the Tibetan language not being used in government offices is a violation of the Chinese Constitution, which guarantees cultural autonomy for Tibetans and other ethnic minorities.
Tashi sells goods to buyers across China on Taobao, an e-tailer run by Alibaba, the e-commerce giant. In 2014, Alibaba chose Tashi to be featured in a promotional video for the company’s investor roadshow.
