Sonam Yingyen, 44, in an undated photo.
DHARAMSHALA, May 7: Chinese authorities have released
a jailed Tibetan monk of the restive Nyatso Zilkar Monastery in Tridu,
eastern Tibet, before the expiration of his prison term due to “medical
emergency.” Dharamshala based rights group, Tibetan Centre for
Human Rights and Democracy, on Tuesday said Sonam Yingyen, 44, was
released “on an unknown date last month before the expiration of his
prison term due to medical emergency.” According to the group,
Sonam Yingyen became “seriously ill soon after he was sentenced to
two-year imprisonment in October 2012” by a Chinese court in Siling
city. His health had deteriorated during his detention and by the
time he was sentenced, the group said, his medical condition had
worsened leading to over a month’s hospitalisation in an army hospital
in Siling. “When family members and friends learned that Sonam
Yingyen was being held secretly in the army hospital – considered to be
the largest hospital in Siling – they visited the hospital, only to be
turned away by local security officials who said the army and police
were there to do the job. Since then, fears for his life have grown
among his family members and friends,” TCHRD said. Sonam Yingyen was among the five monks of Nyatso Zilkar Monastery arrested on September 1, 2012 in a surprise police raid on the monastery. The other four monks were Lobsang Jinpa, 30, Tsultrim Kalsang, 25, Ngawang Monlam, 30, and Sonam Sherab, 45. The
group said that Sonam Yingyen was sent back to Yushu in April this year
where “he will be referred to another hospital for further treatment.” “There
is no information on specific ailments he suffers from,” TCHRD said.
“There is no information on the possibility of the family getting
visitation rights now that Sonam Yingyen is believed to be in Yushu.” On
September 1, 2012, Chinese security forces had arrived in large numbers
at the Nyatso Zilkar Monastery and confiscated electronic items,
including computers and CDs from the quarters of the five monks. Other
monks of the Monastery who pleaded for the release of those arrested
were severely beaten. The arrests and sentencing is believed to
have been carried out in connection with the peaceful protests that
engulfed the area on February 8, 2012. Thousands of Tibetans in
Tridu had taken part in a peaceful protest coinciding with the global
solidarity vigil called by the exile based Central Tibetan
Administration. Around 400 monks from the Zilkar monastery had
led the protest march to Zatoe town with banners, written in blue and
red ink, symbolic of the two protector deities of Tibet, calling for the
Dalai Lama’s return, release of Tibetan political prisoners including
the XIth Panchen Lama and respect for Tibetan lives. “Situation
in Tridu County, where Nyatso Zilkar Monastery is located, is said to be
tense, following the February 2012 protest march and the June 2012 twin
self-immolation of two Tibetan youths,” TCHRD said.
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