Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Nov. 12: In a yet another setback for Tibetan environmental activist and anti-corruption campaigner A-Nya Sengdra’s who received a seven-year prison sentence on December 6, 2019, for his peaceful campaign against corruption by Chinese government officials, his appeal for case review has been rejected by the Sixth Circuit Court of the Supreme People’s Court in Xi’an on November 5.
Lin Qilei, Sengdra’s defense lawyer, shared on social media that he visited the Sixth Circuit Court in Xi’an for the third time in pursuit of a case review. After completing registration and waiting at the court, a judge informed Lin that the appeal would not be reconsidered and advised him not to return with further petitions.
Sengdra’s health has reportedly declined during his imprisonment, leaving his family increasingly concerned. His first family visit in six years took place on September 6, lasting only minutes, during which Sengdra appeared visibly unwell. When the family raised concerns about his condition, their complaints were dismissed, and subsequent visitation requests were denied.
A-Nya Sengdra, known for exposing illegal mining, poaching, and official corruption, was detained in September 2018 in Gade (Ch. Gande) County, in what China refers to as the Golog (Ch. Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province. Authorities charged him with “gathering people to disturb public order” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble”—charges frequently used by Chinese authorities under vague legal provisions to punish activists critical of government policies.
China’s Article 293 of the Criminal Law, which addresses “provoking trouble,” has been broadly interpreted to silence dissenting voices under President Xi Jinping’s administration, targeting numerous rights defenders across China.
International human rights organisations, including the United Nations, have taken up Sengdra’s case. In 2020, UN human rights experts publicly urged China to dismiss the charges, citing concerns over Sengdra’s worsening health due to inadequate detention conditions. “We are deeply concerned by what appears to be the criminalisation of the legitimate work of a minority community member and human rights defender,” the UN experts stated, adding that detention conditions were seriously impacting Sengdra’s physical and mental well-being.
hoping he gets released soon