Popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo sentenced to six years

Popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo sentenced to six years for singing politically charged songs. DHARAMSHALA, March 13: A Chinese court in eastern Tibet has sentenced a popular Tibetan singer Lo Lo, 30, to six years in prison for his ‘crimes’ of singing politically charged songs calling for Tibet’s independence. According to Lobsang Sangyal, an exiled monk in south India, the court sentencing came days after the singer was re-arrested on February 23. “Lo Lo’s current condition and his whereabouts are not yet known,” Sangyal told Phayul. The popular Tibetan singer was first arrested on April 19, 2012 following the release of his album titled “Raise the flag of Tibet, sons of the snow.” However, he was released after a short detention. The title song of the singer’s album calls for independence of Tibet, the “return of the saviour” and reunion of the Tibetan people – messages that are common to the slogans raised by the 107 Tibetans who have self-immolated since 2009. “To promote loyalty to the Land of Snows, For the complete independence of Tibet, With a realised understanding of our objectives, Raise the flag of Tibet- sons of the snow,” a portion of the lyrics reads. Lo Lo is a native of Dragkar in Keygudo region of eastern Tibet. He is son of Jamyang Choegyal and Choekyi Dolma. Tibetan singers, writers, and artists promoting Tibetan national identity and culture have been the target of China’s ongoing crackdown on intellectuals, especially after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In February last year, Tibetan singer, Ugyen Tenzin was arrested by Chinese authorities for praising His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the elected leader of the Tibetan people Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay. Another singer, Chogsel, was also arrested and banned from singing on charges of threatening social stability. In August last year, the exile Tibetan administration submitted a detailed profile of 64 Tibetan intellectuals to the UN Special Rapporteur in Geneva and urged for necessary inquiry into their cases. Calling the ongoing crackdown on Tibetan artists and intellectuals the “harshest” since the Cultural Revolution, the Central Tibetan Administration said that at least 24 Tibetans intellectuals have been given sentences ranging from few months to life imprisonment for exercising their freedom of expression. “This new generation of young Tibetans born and educated under Chinese Communist rule have edited banned magazines and are tech-savvy bloggers imprisoned for gathering, expressing and sharing information about conditions in Tibet especially after the March 2008 demonstrations across Tibet,” CTA said. The exile Tibetan administration noted that the whereabouts of about 37 Tibetan intellectuals remain unknown, while 12 intellectuals were released on fear of custodial death after excessive torture during detention by the Chinese authorities.