No Resolution to the Unrest in Denma

By Vanshika Tripathi / September 20, 2014;

Protest
Photo: RFA

Two Tibetans have been detained in Denma in Sershul County by Chinese authorities. Tsekhog and Pelgyal were arrested for taking photographs of the violence that occurred during an initially peaceful protest that took a turn for the worse when Chinese police started firing into the unarmed crowd.

The protest took place in early August in response to the imprisonment of Dema Wangdak, the village leader of Shugpa Village. Wangdak had confronted local authorities over an incident where high-ranking Chinese officials harassed a Tibetan woman during a coerced cultural performance in Sershul County. After village chief Dema Wangdak lodged the complaint with local authorities, he was charged with allegedly holding an illegal Tibetan horse festival and subsequently imprisoned.

Since the protest, five Tibetans have died from their gunshot wounds in Chinese custody, never having been allowed to receive medical aid while in prison, and a pregnant woman commited suicide upon hearing about her husband’s death. The woman was the wife of Jinpa Tharcin, who was one of the five Tibetans who died in detention. Additionally, another protester is on the verge of death after being beaten and tortured by Chinese authorities in prison. Dawa Lhamo, 64, has now been sent home. It is believed that her release is due to her low chance of survival. She had been rushed to a hospital with a head trauma inflicted by Chinese police.

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) has stated that Lhamo underwent horrific torture that left her incapable of talking or moving. ICT has furthermore stated that a Chinese officer was killed after mistakenly being shot by the same troops that opened fire on the unarmed Tibetan protesters. This incident has not been reported by China’s official press, nor mentioned by Chinese officials.

A victim of the shooting
Photo: RFA

Since the Kardze protest, ten Tibetans have suffered grave injuries from gunshot wounds, twenty-five Tibetans have been detained, and at least five Tibetans have died while in custody.