Anya Sengdra, a 47 year old Tibetan nomad and environmental activist from Golog prefecture in eastern Tibet, was sentenced to seven years in prison by a court in Golog on December 6. He had already spent 14 months in detention. He was charged with “gathering people to disturb public order” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” which Free Tibet, a London-based Tibet advocacy group, said highlights the Chinese authorities’ harassment of the right of Tibetan activists and environment defenders.
Anya Sengdra, a resident of Kyangche Township in Golog who campaigned against environmental destruction caused by illegal mining activities, illegal hunting and poaching of endangered animals, as well as government corruption, was arrested on September 4, 2018. He was beaten and held without access to a lawyer during the first 48 days of his detention. His family members were not allowed to visit him, reports Free Tibet.
Anya Sengdra is reported as being a man who was highly respected in his community for his activism. In 2014 Anya was appointed chief of his town. In that year, he and fellow Tibetan nomads founded a voluntary organisation Mang Dhon Ling – which means Public Affairs Forum, to fight against the corruption and misuse of power by local Chinese authorities.
The court also accused him of heading two WeChat groups – both having a membership of over four hundred people, and of using two other WeChat groups with titles that include the words “anti-corruption”, “environmental protection’’ and “people’s petitions”.
Anya’s brother, Jimitri, was arrested on December 16, 2018 and was also scheduled for trial on the same day as Anya. However, there are reports that he died in detention from unknown causes and that he was taken to a hospital in Xining in Amdo [Ch: Qinghai Province] from his detention centre.
Following Anya’s trial, his lawyer Lin Qilei said in a tweet that his client does not accept the verdict and will appeal against his sentence.
Tibetans and Tibet groups across the world have expressed their distress over the incident.
“Anya has become the latest victim of China’s systematic plan to silence and imprison Tibetans,” said Dorjee Tseten from Students for a Free Tibet, adding, “The trumped up charges against him are farcical and reflect China’s lack of rule of law and respect for basic human rights. Tibetans and supporters around the world will continue to press for Anya’s release.”
“His peaceful work to protect the environment and challenge corruption highlighted problems that the authorities should have taken seriously. But, rather than listening, the CCP decided that Anya must be locked away in silence,” said John Jones from Free Tibet.
Lobsang Yangtso from the International Tibet Network said, “Activists around the world are working to protect the environment and ensure that the land that they live on will be fit for future generations. Living under China’s occupation has meant Anya’s environmental protection work has led to him being classed as a criminal rather than an environmental justice hero.”
Padma Dolma of the Tibet Justice Centre said, “Since 2018, [the] Chinese authorities have been issuing regulations that can get Tibetans arrested en masse and under false charges. Nomad and community leader Anya Sengdra is the victim of a crackdown that has seen over 400 Tibetans convicted last year, despite no evidence being presented that they committed a crime; further evidence that being a Tibetan in the People’s Republic of China today is to be a threat to state security”.
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