By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, July 15: Tibetans in the restive Kardze County’s Datharma region in eastern Tibet have urged Chinese President Xi Jinping and regional government authorities to probe the death of a Tibetan woman while demanding the release of five Tibetans sentenced to two and a half years in prison for inciting separatism.
According to former political prisoner Golog Jigme, the incident of unrest began when a Tibetan woman named Tsering Tsomo was found dead hanging from a local bridge in the Datharma region on October 5, 2015. A lama and two policemen allegedly responsible for the Tibetan woman’s death according to the local Tibetans were not charged by authorities. Repeated demands and subsequent lack of action by the authorities led to local Tibetans protesting against the regional government office where stones were also pelted in the melee.
Five days later on Oct. 10, Chinese security force numbering around a thousand were deployed in Ragya village resulting in the detention of more than 40 Tibetans including the family of the deceased Tsering Tsomo. The detained were subjected to harsh interrogation and beaten, sources said. Although majority of the detainees were released after a few months, five Tibetans; Kunsang; 37, Palden Rinzin; 23, Daktsang; 28, Rabten; 39 and Wangon; 42 were held back in detention. On May 20, 2016, a Chinese court sentenced the five to a prison sentence of two and a half years each on charges of “inciting separatism.”
An application posted on social media sites on the behalf of around 700 Tibetans from the Datharma region accused the local authorities of colluding with each other to restrict and essentially bully Tibetans, urging the Chinese President Xi Jinping to probe the matter and release the five Tibetans. The application further urged authorities to exercise rule of law and check corruption and misuse of official positions.
