Ven Tashi Phuntsok, 60, a Tibetan monk who was in prison alongside the revered activist Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, has died after a lengthy illness. His health had been poor since his release from prison in 2003. He was falsely accused of colluding with Tenzin Delek Rinpoche in a series of bomb explosions in the city of Chengdu and initially sentenced to seven years in prison, but released when his health deteriorated.
He died in Tibet on March 16 or 17 while on his way to hospital. Speaking to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), the aides said his health had been poor since his release from Yakra Phuk Prison near Dartsedo (Chinese: Kangding) in Sichuan Province in 2003.
On April 17, 2002, Tashi Phuntsok was detained from his Jamyang Choekhorling Monastery in Nyachukha [Ch: Yajiang] in eastern Tibet where he was a manager, and falsely accused of colluding with Tenzin Delek Rinpoche in a series of bomb explosions in the city of Chengdu. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was sentenced to death with two years reprieve and Ven Tashi Phuntsok to seven years imprisonment. There was an international outcry over the absence of a fair trial for them and other Tibetans who were also sentenced to varying prison terms.
Local Tibetans believe the Chinese authorities framed Tenzin Delek Rinpoche on account of his social activism and huge following. Tashi Phuntsok had alsobeen active since 1993, protesting against the Chinese government’s deforestation drive in his region.
He was suffering from a pulmonary condition at the time of his arrest; his health deteriorated while he was in prison and he was released after less than two years – the Chinese authorities are known to release political prisoners in critical health conditions to avoid responsibility for them dying in custody.
According to ICT sources, at the time of his release from prison in 2003 Tashi Phuntsok had shrunk in size and was nothing more than “skin over skeleton”.
He spent about a year recuperating at home and then went wandering in different places before returning to his hometown in 2018 in frail health.
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