Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage

By Tenzin Samten / July 14, 2019;

Photo: ITN

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama was awarded the 2019 “Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage” on July 12 in a ceremony held in the office of Free Tibet in central London, United Kingdom. The medal honours and recognises those who have shown a deep commitment to enhancing the freedom and rights of the Tibetan people at great personal risk. The award was received by Mr Sonam Frasi, His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s representative in the UK.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama was abducted as a six-year-old in 1996 by the Chinese government and has not been seen since. In April Tibetans around the word marked his 30th birthday.

The award is given on July 12 every year, this commemorates the death of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche – a highly revered lama, community leader and human rights defender who died in Chinese prison in 2015.

Four Tibetans were recognised and honoured at the ceremony, in addition to Gendhun Choekyi Nyima:

Druklo (Pen name: Shokjang): A writer and blogger known for his thought-provoking articles. He was arrested in 2016, charged with “inciting separatism” and sentenced to three years in prison.

Jigme Gyatso: Currently serving a 15-year prison sentence following his arrest in 1996. In prison he has continued to protest. He has been beaten and tortured and his prison sentence extended.

Kunchok Tsephel: The founder of a popular Tibetan website that promotes Tibetan culture and literature. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence for “divulging state secrets”.

Tashi Rabten: A writer and the co-editor of Shar Dungri, a Tibetan-language literary magazine that has been banned. He was detained in 2010 and sentenced to four years in prison.

The award is finalised after a vote by members of International Tibet Network’s Steering Committee, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s cousin, Geshe Nyima and other human rights experts.

The Medal of Courage award was initiated in 2016 by the International Tibet Network, a global coalition of 170 Tibet-related non-government organisations campaigning for an end to human rights violations in Tibet and restoring rights to the Tibetan people.

2018’s Medal of Courage award was shared by the filmmakers, former political prisoners and human rights advocates Dhondup Wangchen and Golog Jigme. The first award was presented in 2017 in absentia to a medical doctor and political prisoner in Tibet, Yeshi Choedron.