Phagpa Kyab, 57, a Tibetan political prisoner from eastern Tibet was released by the Chinese government after an eight year prison term, reports Tibet Watch. Kyab was arrested on December 9, 2012 for his involvement in Lhamo Tsetan’s self immolation protest on October 26, 2012. The Chinese government has criminalised self immolation protests. There have been 155 confirmed cases of self immolation in Tibet from February 2009 to May 2019.