Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 17: Tibetan human rights defender Tsering Tso was reportedly detained on November 29 in Trika (Ch. Guide) County, Tsolho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, and released on December 13, according to research group Tibet Watch.
The Trika Public Security Bureau issued an official warrant on November 29, accusing Tsering Tso of “fabricating facts and posting false statements” on WeChat Moments throughout the month. Her social media activity was cited as the primary reason for her arrest.
On November 20, Tsering Tso visited the Trika Public Security Bureau’s Exit and Entry Permit Hall to apply for a travel permit. However, her request was denied by a police officer, who claimed that Tsering Tso had a “criminal record.”
Following her release on December 13, Tsering Tso wrote on WeChat, “Thank you for the leader’s retaliation against the whistleblower. The laws in Qinghai Province are different from those in China. Every time I complain about the police’s illegal and disciplinary violation, the police use their power to arbitrarily arrest and detain for provoking trouble, intimidate, threaten, retaliate, and persecute the whistleblower.”
Tsering Tso has faced ongoing harassment and detention due to her activism and her efforts to highlight systemic discrimination against Tibetans. Her use of social media as a platform to expose misconduct has made her a repeated target of Chinese authorities. Since 2017, she has been detained five times. On December 19, 2023, Tsering Tso endured a 15-day detention following accusations of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.” The charge stemmed from three video clips she posted online, which showed her police interrogation at a checkpoint in Drachen County, Nagchu City. The authorities deemed the content sensitive, leading to further reprisals against her.
