Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Aug. 21: Six youth activists from Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) undertook a 24-hour hunger strike protest outside the Chinese Consulate in New York, beginning at 9 PM on Wednesday and ending at 9 PM on Thursday, calling for justice for imprisoned Tibetan businessman Dorjee Tashi and his sister Gonpo Kyi.
The protest came in the wake of a harrowing video showing Gonpo Kyi jumping from the second floor of her family’s hotel in Lhasa on Wednesday morning while being detained by local police. Rights groups said she was in critical condition following days of beatings, confinement, and repeated denial of her right to visit her brother, who has been serving a life sentence since 2008 after what they describe as a politically motivated conviction. Reports also note that Dorjee Tashi has suffered severe torture in prison.
According to Tibet Watch, Dorjee Tashi’s brother, Dorjee Tseten, was recently removed from his Lhasa home and relocated to Lhoka (Shannan) prefecture, likely to prevent him from speaking out during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Lhasa on Thursday to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region.
SFT activists said that their demonstration was not only an act of solidarity but also a reminder of the responsibility of Tibetans in exile to expose the harsh realities faced by those inside Tibet. Their protest coincided with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s arrival in Lhasa on August 20, a visit activists criticized as a propaganda move that misrepresents Tibet’s dire situation to the world.
In its statement, Tibet Watch urged international governments to ensure the safety and welfare of Gonpo Kyi, allow Dorjee Tashi’s family to visit him in accordance with Chinese regulations, and press Beijing to release him and investigate his case.
The rights group pointed to serious flaws in his trial, including torture during interrogations, degrading treatment in prison, political interference by senior officials, witness tampering, and a conviction for loan fraud despite the loan being repaid in full, no complaint from the bank, and evidence that the collateral was legally owned by Tashi. It further noted that his life sentence was disproportionately harsh compared to lighter sentences in more severe cases, and that his family has been repeatedly denied visits. Tibet Watch emphasized that Dorjee Tashi’s case exemplifies the broader absence of legal protections in Tibet and called on the international community to hold China accountable.
Much as the CCP fabricates to present a rosy picture of occupied Tibet, the truth is, TIBET IS UNDER SEVERE COLONIAL JACKBOOT OCCUPATION! EVERY TIBETAN IS A GONPO KYID! Her families story of injustice, imprisonment, torture, trumped up charges and bereft of any human rights is the hallmark of ruthless Chinese communist occupation of Tibet. Every Tibetan family from Amdo to Chamdo to Lhasa are suffering the same tyranny. Every Tibetan lives in fear of the Chinese ruthless regime. There is no protection for Tibetans from Chinese communist enacted laws! Even ordinary Chinese are not getting justice as we saw recently in Jiangyou in southern China when a 14 year old girl was bullied mercilessly by three of her classmates. Tibetans are treated far worse because of Chinese Han chauvinism and rabid racism. The brightest Tibetan scholars, educators, environmental protectors, language activists, writers, singers like Lobo, Gabi and Ah Sang, religious figures like Abbot and scriptural teacher of Hortsang Kirti Monastery- Kunchok Chodak and many others are languishing in Chinese jails without any recourse to justice. Communism is the most violent ideology in human history. Mao and his regime slaughtered 80 million of its citizens, Josef Stalin slaughtered 20-30 millions and Pol Pot slaughtered 3 million people! Communism does not value human life and the Chinese communism is the worst of all. That is why communist China has been accused of human rights abuse ever since it came into existence. Why, there is such egregious human rights abuse in communist China? It is because the communist system is inherently based on cruelty and extreme violence. It’s the nature of Chinese communism! The charade that was in full display in Lhasa is a classic example of CCP grandstanding to cover up its criminality with grandiose spectacles! The giant display of its coat of arms, march of the PLA and Xi’s attendance are to showcase Chinese supposed “sovereignty” over occupied Tibet! The dancing and frolicking Tibetans are to drive home that indeed the Tibetans are in congruence with the CCP’ claims!!! However, the reality is different. HH THE DALAI LAMA IS THE SOVEREIGN LEADER OF TIBET! HE IS WITH US AND THE SIX MILLION TIBETANS ARE WITH HIM! Thank you to all the activists of STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET AND TIBETAN YOUTH CONGRESS FOR YOUR UNTIRING EFFORT TO HIGHLIGHT THE ATROCITIES COMMITTED BY COMMUNIST CHINA AGAINST THE TIBETANS IN OCCUPIED TIBET! MAY YOUR EFFORT IN HIGHLIGHTING THE PLIGHT OF INNOCENT TIBETANS LANGUISHING IN APPALLING CHINESE JAILS SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. MAY ALL VICTIMS OF THE CCP IN OCCUPIED TIBET FIND SOLACE IN THEIR HEART THAT TIBETANS LIVING IN THE FREE WORLD HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THEM! བོད་རྒྱལ་ལོ།། བོད་རང་བཙནརྒྱལ་ལོ།།