Tenzin Tharpa, a former monk from Chaktse Township in Driru County in the traditional province of Kham, was arrested by the Chinese authorities in June 2020 for helping Tibetans send money to their families in India. There has been no information about his whereabouts since then and the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), a Dharamshala based human rights group, has now learned that Tenzin Tharpa was sentenced to two and half years in prison in a secret trail and is due for release in December 2022. TCHRD confirmed that his family was able to hire a Chinese lawyer for his trial but “could not ensure fair trial”. His family still does not know in which prison he is serving his sentence.
His cousin Lhamo
According to a report by Tibet Watch, a UK -based Human rights advocacy organisation, Tenzin Tharpa and his cousin Lhamo were detained by Chinese officials in June 2020 on charges of sending money to families in India. Lhamo, a mother of three, died in August that year from injuries sustained during her detention. Her body was immediately cremated, preventing any medical examination.
In 2012, Tenzin Tharpa was based at Lharung Gar Monastery and was required to disrobe and leave the monastery when the Chinese authorities issued a directive banning monks from other regions from studying in Lharung Gar. After returning to Driru County, he founded a Tibetan language school for local Tibetan children which was then shut down by the authorities. Since then, he was subject to continuous monitoring and surveillance. In 2014, he started a Tibetan business dealing in Tibetan medicinal plants, including Yartsa Gunbu (caterpillar fungus).
In recent times, the Chinese authorities have used these tactics in order to crackdown on Tibetans sending money to relatives and families outside Tibet, especially those in India. In July, Voice of America reported that Tibetans living in and around the Lhasa region have been ordered to stop contact with family and friends living abroad, and that non-compliance risks the loss of all government aid and benefits.
TCHRD reports that many Tibetan students and monks studying in India are affected by the restrictions imposed on their families in Tibet, who can no longer send money to them. Tibetans living in India who have families in Driru and nearby regions have not been able to speak to their families since 2016.
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