By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, FEB 17: A Tibetan political prisoner has been released upon completion of four years and ten months prison term, reported the Voice of Tibet.
Sherphel, as he is known among friends, was arrested on January 23, 2012 for taking part in a peaceful protest against the Chinese government in Serthar County of Sichuan Province.
“He was released on November 25, 2016 and is currently at his hometown,” said Switzerland based former Tibetan political prisoner Golog Jigme, “Due to the severe clampdown on the communication in the region, the news of his release reached late to the outside world.”
He also added that due to the communication clampdown, his current physical condition and the amount of torture he underwent are still not clear.
According to reports, the tension in Serthar escalated after police fired upon the peaceful protesters leaving as many as five dead and many seriously injured in November 2012.
The incident in Serthar on January 24, 2012 was ignited by the protests that began a day before with posters and leaflets calling for more self-immolations and alerting Tibetans not to allow the remains of the self-immolators get in the hands of Chinese officials. Protestors that day also distributed leaflets with Tibetan national flag containing slogans such as ‘Long live the Dalai Lama’, ‘Shame on China,’ and ‘Victory to Tibet’.
