Two Tibetans are reported to have been detained by Chinese police for listening to the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Following their detention on December 30, 2019 Jamphel Dorjee and his son were released from custody; the authorities recorded the phone numbers of all Dorjee’s family members, whilst the pair signed documents agreeing not to repeat “the offense of receiving their daughters’ phone calls or listening to the Dalai Lama’s teachings”.
Jamphel Dorjee, 75 and his son, Tsewang Gyurmey are from Chamdo Prefecture’s Dzogang county in eastern Tibet.
Radio Free Asia reports that Geshe Jampa, who lives in South India and is in contact with a local source in Tibet, said “[They] were detained on a charge of listening to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teachings on their mobile phone, and also for speaking to their daughters who are living in exile.” After the detention of father and son, the phone number of all the family members were noted and all communications to those numbers blocked. Their daughters in India and other relatives have confirmed this story.
In fear of getting their family in more trouble, they have kept silent about the incident till now.
It is also reported that the authorities have warned Jamphel and his son that the nature of their crime could give them a minimum of a four to five year jail sentence. However, they were released for “showing good behavior” and were required to sign letters saying that they will never repeat the offence of receiving calls from their daughters in exile, or of listening to the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
In Tibet, keeping His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s photos, watching or listening to his teachings and celebrating his birthdays are considered severe offence by Chinese authorities. There have been reported cases of people being detained for sending messages or photos of His Holiness on social media.
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