By Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, July 16: The 2024 Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage was awarded to the people of Dege who protested against China’s plans to construct the Kamtok hydropower dam that would see the destruction of their community, cultural heritage and the environment.
The award was presented in the Scottish parliament by Tibet Solidarity in Edinburgh, Scotland on July 12, to Mr Sonam Tsering Frasi, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama London who received the award on behalf of the Dege protestors. The nominees for the medal include prominent Tibetan activists and human rights namely, Go Sherab Gyatso, Lhundrup Drakpa, Karma Samdrup, Namkyi, Lhamo Kyap and Dr Gyal Lo.
Hundreds of Tibetans including Buddhist monks and residents from Wangbuding Township in Dege County, in Kham region of Tibet on February 14, 2024, protested against the Chinese government’s plan to relocate thousands of local Tibetans from their traditional lands to facilitate the construction of a major hydroelectric dam around the Yangtze River.
The Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage which is awarded annually on his death anniversary, honours his life and legacy. The medal seeks to identify and honour Tibetan human rights defenders who take an active role in overcoming the injustice of the Chinese occupation of Tibet in a non-violent pursuit of freedom and justice.
The medal was first awarded in 2016 to retired medical doctor Yeshi Choedron, who was arrested in March 2008 and was accused of providing intelligence deemed harmful to the state. Yeshi Choedron is currently serving a 15-year sentence in the infamous Drapchi Prison. The second medal was awarded to Tashi Wangchuk, a Tibetan language activist who was sentenced to five years in prison. Other recipients of the medal are Dhundup Wangchen, Golok Jigme, Gendun Choekyi Nyima the 11th Panchen Lama, Anya Sendra and last year Tibetan businessman and philanthropist Dorjee Tashi and his sister Gompo Kyi were awarded the Medal of Courage.
Tulku Tenzin Delek was a much-revered and widely respected Tibetan religious and community leader who was recognized as a reincarnated lama by the Dalai Lama in the 1980s. He had a strong influence on his community, especially among nomads in Lithang, the place of his birth. He fought for justice, health care, educational opportunities, and the environment that has long irked Chinese authorities. Chinese authorities viewed him as threatening to their control. Over 10 years Tenzin Delek was the target of harassment and intimidation by Chinese officials. In 2015, at the age of 65 after serving 13 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche died in custody under mysterious circumstances.
