DHARAMSHALA, NOV 12: Pema Samdup, 26, born in the Khugyu village in Sertsa Township in Tengchen county, was arbitrarily detained on the eve of the Tibetan political anniversary of the annual Uprising day which falls on the 10th of March. Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) have reported that he is currently serving on accounts of “separatism” in Chamdo Prefecture.
Pema Samdup had posted photos on 9th March in WeChat and detained for “political reasons” that were deemed sensitive by Chinese authorities. Samdup had graduated from a reputable Gangjong Jigme Sherig Norbu College in Xining where all the courses were taught in the Tibetan language. He had come back to his hometown after his graduation but remained unemployed due to lack of jobs and opportunities.
The Tibetan rights group calls upon the international community and Chinese authorities to safeguard Samdup´s right to expression by stating, “The arbitrary detention and suspected torture of Pema Samdup for merely sharing photos online are flagrant violations of his human rights and fundamental freedoms guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights instruments that have been signed or ratified by the People’s Republic of China.”
Pema joins a long list of Tibetans in occupied Tibet who have been detained and sentenced for sending and sharing materials that the Chinese government deems endangering stability and stoking anti-national sentiments on Wechat. Many of the banned materials include images, teachings and speeches of the Dalai Lama.
