Fears for detained Tibetan monk

Tibetan monk Choephel Dawa has not been heard from since he was detained by police on 28 March. It is not known where he is being held, or the charges against him, and he is at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.

Tibetan monk Choephel Dawa, 27, was detained by local police in Sog County, Nagchu Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, on the night of 28 March. It is not known where he is being held, and he has not had any access to lawyers or his family. While the reason for his detention is unknown, people in the local area believe it is due to him sharing photographs of the Dalai Lama on WeChat, a popular messaging platform in China.

Choephel Dawa is from Sok Tsanden Monastery in Yagla Township, Sog County. The monastery and those living in the village are under tight surveillance by the Chinese authorities due to the history of activism in the area. Choephel Dawa was previously detained in January 2012 and served a two-year prison sentence due to possessing photos on his mobile phone of self-immolations by Tibetans in protest against Chinese rule.

Torture and other ill-treatment remain endemic in all places of detention in China, and this risk is even greater for those who are not allowed access to their family or lawyer.

Additional Information

Ethnic Tibetans in China face discrimination and restrictions on their rights to freedom of religion, expression, association and assembly. Since the mass protests in 2008 against Chinese rule, the Chinese government has stepped up repression in Tibetan areas and imposed intrusive military and security controls. The authorities continue to subject Tibetans to "patriotic education", which forces them to denounce the Dalai Lama and express support for the Chinese Communist Party. Tibetan monasteries and nunneries have been a major target of the Chinese authorities’ patriotic education campaigns.