Jul 18, 2014

Tibet: Monk Released After Seven Years in Prison


The abusive arrest in 2008 of Ngagchung, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, provoked a strong reaction against the Chinese authorities, and yet Ngagchung remained incommunicado for seven years until his release on Tuesday 15 July 2014, amid concerns for his health. 

Below is an article published by The Tibet Post:

Sources coming out of Tibet say Ngagchung, a Tibetan Buddhist monk imprisoned for seven years for sharing information of the 2008 mass protests has been released after serving his full term, but in serious health condition.

The 45-year old Tibetan monk Ngagchung and two other monks from Larung Gar Buddhist Institute of Serthar were taken into custody on suspicion of leaking information to Tibetan 'separatist forces' outside during the height of the anti-occupation protests in 2008.

Ngagchung's two companions, Taphun and Gudrak, were released after interrogation, but Ngagchung has remained in captivity at various locations outside Chengdu since his arrest. Every request made by the family to visit him were turned down," an exiled Tibetan told the Tibet Post International on Tuesday, 15 July, 2014.

Sources said that he was released on July 8 [2014], but his health conditions are very serious and other details remain unknown," sources said.

Ngagchung was sentenced by a Chinese Intermediate People's court in Sichuan Province to seven years in prison and deprivation of political rights for one year. He has been incommunicado since his arrest in 2008.

Many rights groups have expressed their strong concern about the legality and fairness of Ngagchung's trial and incarceration. But, Chinese authorities have released no information about the exact date of the trial, the evidence against Ngagchung or the charges under which he was convicted.

He is the nephew of the late Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, a highly -respected Tibetan Buddhist teacher who founded the Larung Gar Buddhist Institute in Sertha County, Kardze, where Ngagchung studied Buddhist philosophy for more than 20 years before his arrest.

 

Photo Flickr @ runner PL