Kunchok Tsephel, 52, a prominent Tibetan writer, teacher and environmentalist who was sentenced to 15 years in 2009 by the Chinese authorities was released on March 18 after serving more than 13 years in prison, reports the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) based in Dharamshala.
According to their report, Kunchok served his 13 years of prison sentence in two different prisons,one of which was Dingxi Prison near Lanzhou city in Gansu Province; it is understood that he was released two years early for saving the life of fellow prisoner and for his good behaviour while in prison. Details about his well being and health are currently unavailable, however, while in prison it was reported that he had health issues with his waist and knee.
Though the writer is freed from prison, “Tsephel and his family members are under close surveillance given the fact that Tsephel still has to serve the four years’ supplementary sentence of ‘deprivation of political rights’, which allows the police discretionary power to impose extreme restrictions on his movement and activities,” said TCHRD
He founded a Tibetan literary website called Chomei [Eng : Lamp] with Kyabchen Dedrol, another influential Tibetan poet; the website promotes Tibetan classical and contemporary writings. He was arrested on February 26, 2009 after Chinese officials raided his house and his computer, camera and mobile phone were seized. For about nine months there was no information as to his whereabouts. On November 12 of the same year he was charged for “leaking state secrets” and sentenced to “15 years of imprisonment in a closed-door proceeding by the Kanlho Intermediate People’s Court,” said the report.
At the time of his detention, he was working as an environmentalist for the Chinese government. “Tsephel’s charges were connected to the content of his website and for sharing information outside Tibet regarding the brutality committed by the Chinese People’s Armed Police against Tibetans during the 2008 Uprising,” said TCHRD in their report.
Kunchok Tsephel is a resident of Ngulra Township, Machu (Ch: Maqu) County, Kanlho Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. He was born into a nomadic family and in 1989 came to India and studied at the Tibetan school in Suja, Bir. After completing his studies, he returned to Tibet in 1994.
TCHRD has appealed to the Chinese authorities to “refrain from imposing arbitrary restrictions on Tsephel and his family members and allow them to seek proper medical care in other places”.
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