Melody in Prison: Ngawang Choephel
	UPDATE 20 October 1999

The following report is based on an email announcement transmitted by France-Tibet. The French original is here.

A coalition of French groups is planning demonstrations to be held on October 22nd in Lyon and on October 24th at the Bastille in Paris to protest the arrival of Chinese President Jiang Zemin and to support freedom for Tibet and human rights in China.

The protesters are demanding:

• An end to human rights violations in China and occupied Tibet;
• Opening negotiations without preconditions between China and the Tibetan Government-in Exile;
• Immediate release of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima - the young Panchen Lama, and of all political prisoners - Tibetan (1,083 recorded, of whom 246 are women and 12 minors as of 31/12/1998!) and Chinese;
• An end to the mass transfer of Chinese colonizers into Tibet and to cultural genocide inTibet;
• An end to nuclearisation and militarisation of the Tibetan plateau;
• An end to the environmental destruction of Tibet;
• Opening negotiations with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile towards a peaceful resolution of the Tibetan question.

These demands and the following declaration were agreed upon at a coalition meeting held in Lyon on 9 October 1999 and were signed by representatives of the organizations listed below:

- Aide au Tibet (Ramatuelle / Côte d'Azur)
- Auvergne Tibet Freedom (Clermont-Ferrand)
- Convergence Tibet Laogaï (Toulouse)
- France Tibet national
- France Tibet Languedoc
- France Tibet Nord Pas-de-Calais
- Lions des Neiges (Lyon)
- Tibet Liberté Solidarité (Marseille)
- Tibet Lion des Neiges (Strasbourg)
- Alpes Tibet (Grenoble)
- La Communauté tibétaine en France
- Les Verts

We, French citizens, members of the above-listed associations defending the Tibetan cause, proud of our tradition of two centuries fighting for fundamental and universal human and citizens' rights, whole-heartedly denounce the reception with high honors by Mr. Jacques Chirac, President of the Republic, and by Mr. Lionel Jospin, head of government, of Mr. Jiang Zemin, President of the People's Republic of China, head of a totalitarian state, assassin, perpetrator of genocide, polluter, colonialist, torturer, corrupted and corruptor.

Logic and justice demand that, at a time when the old Chilean dictator Pinochet has been found extraditable for crimes against humanity and when already last spring NATO did not hesitate to strike against the regime of Milosevic, the representative of an equally unsupportable regime would also be placed before an international tribunal to be held accountable for the innumerable crimes which have marked the 50 years of the so-called “People's Republic” of China.

Furthermore, to our great regret, the Tibetan question continues to be treated by our institutions of national power under the seal of an inadmissable obfuscation concerning the historic truth: Tibet is considered to be an integral part of China even though it was a sovereign state before the invasion of 1950. And no government, neither that of France nor any other in the world, has had even for a moment the political courage to officially recognize the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

We therefore repeat our request for a reexamination of official French policy with the goal of realizing the conditions which would permit the Tibetan people to exercise their right to self-determination—a right publically granted to the Palestinian people by President Chirac in October 1996—lacking which, we can only find reason to objectively conclude that complicity exists between the French and Chinese governments.

2) Letter to those who will meet with President Jiang Zemin

Sir:

You are going to meet with President Jiang Zemin soon. This visit may offer you the opportunity to express to him your opinion regarding negotiations in which he could engage with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in Exile. Such negotiations would have a positive impact not only for Tibetans but also for the stability of China and its government. Your initiative in this matter is of the utmost importance in enabling a favorable outcome for the situation of Tibet and China.

Public opinion, sensitive to the situation in Tibet, will note the positions taken by its leaders in support of human rights. As you know, numerous individuals and organizations in France have called for negotiations among the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Government-in-Exile and the Chinese government in order that all parties enage in dialogue in the common interest regarding true autonomy for Tibet, respect for human rights, and self-determination. The Dalai Lama has for many years requested discussions on Tibetan autonomy (i.e., education, economic development and health care) with the Chinese authorities, who have not yet responded to this invitation. More and more people are becoming involved in the cause of Tibet, which subsequent to its invasion in 1949 by Chinese troops has in fact become a colony. Since the uprising of 10 March 1959 in Lhasa, when thousands of Tibetans perished, it is estimated that up to 1,200,000 deaths have directly or indirectly resulted from the invasion of Tibet. We believe it is urgent to redress this injustice and to stop the genocide, despite the incapacity of Western governments preceding you, to express to the Chinese authorities the importance of human rights in Tibet, of campaigns currently underway with the goal of totally controlling the monasteries, to sterilise Tibetan women, and a massive invasion of Han Chinese reducing Tibetans to a minority in their ancient homeland is in process. Torture is systematic for political prisoners, who number more than 1,000 in Tibet's 15 prisons (1,083 prisoners recorded as of 31 December 1998 of whom 246 are women and 12 minors).

We take the opportunity of Jiang Zemin's visit to ask that you intercede while in his vicinity and that you voice the concerns of numerous organizations which are unanimously demanding the release to the West of three prisoners: Ngawang Choephel, ethnomusicogist, sentenced to 18 years imprisonment; Ngawang Sangdrol, Tibetan nun, sentenced to 21 years imprisonment; and Tanak Jigme Sangpo, an elderly Tibetan teacher sentenced to 28 years imprisonment. We also demand that information be released about two persons who have disappeared: Gendhun Choekyi Nyima (Panchen Lama), a child of ten years, and Kabukye Rinpoché, the abbot of Nubzur Monastery, imprisoned for six years. We further demand the unconditional release of Gyaye Phuntsok, 68 years of age, school director, popular representative, and leading member of the Tibetan community, arrested in August 1998. We also demand that all persons imprisoned as a result of exercising their right to freedom of expression be freed immediately.

We beg you to receive this as an expression of our great sincerity.

For France-Tibet

P.S. You will find below further details regarding the cases of prisoners mentioned above.

Cases of Tibetan political prisoners:

In December 1998, the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) released the names of 1,083 Tibetan political prisoners who remain incarcerated in Chinese-run prisons in Tibet. The cases of three of them have become symbolic of the 1,083 others, and their suffering reminds us that every possible measure must be taken to end such injustice. We refer to Ngawang Choephel, ethnomusicologist, sentenced to 18 years imprisonment; Ngawang Sangdrol, Tibetan nun, sentenced to 21 years in prison; and Tanak Jigme Sangpo, an elderly Tibetan teacher, sentenced to 28 years imprisonment.

Ngawang Choephel
Ngawang Choephel was accused of espionage. Ngawang Choephel grew up in exile in India, where he studied traditional Tibetan dance and music with TIPA (Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts). He received a prestigious Fulbright scholarship which allowed him to pursue higher studies in ethnomusicology in the USA. The Chinese authorities had no proof for their accusation of espionage other than confessions obtained under torture and video images which only demonstrated Ngawang Choephel's interest in the traditional dance and music of Tibet. On 1 July 1998, Ngawang Choephel was transferred to the high-security Powo Tramo prison, an isolated labor camp considered the harshest in Tibet. He appealed his innocence to the high court of the Tibetan Autonomous Region three times in August and September 1998, by which time he had become ill. He received no response. According to reliable information out of Tibet, Ngawang Choephel coughed up a significant amount of blood on 16 August 1996. This is a clinical sympton of pulmonary tuberculosis. However, he did not receive the appropriate treatment for this affliction. It would be humane to permit Ngawang Choephel to quickly see his mother in India. Very old and ill, she has been thrown into a state of despair by the imprisonment of her only son. She lives only to let the world know about her son's case. On several occasions, she has presented a request for a visa in order to visit him in prison in Tibet, which has been totally ignored by the Chinese authorities. She recently declared, "Twice I have written to the Chinese embassy in Delhi, requesting a visa to go to Tibet. For the same reason, I went there in person on 9 January 1997, in June 1997 and on 28 July that same year, when I was able to see the First Secretary, Mr. Huo Zhongquan. He told me that it would take three to four months to obtain permission from the 'Tibetan Autonomous Region,' but to this day I have not received any response from the Chinese officials in New Delhi."

In failing to authorize Sonam Deckyi to visit her son in prison, the Chinese authorities violate both international law and their own law which authorizes visits by close relatives, namely Article 37 of the Minimum Standard Rules of the United Nations for treatment of prisoners and Article 48 of Chinese prison law.

We demand the release of Ngawang Choephel on medical and humanitarian grounds. We believe this is also extremely important for his mother, who risks losing her life in her daily struggle.

Ngawang Sangdrol
Ngawang Sangdrol, a 22-year-old nun, has just seen her sentence lengthened to a total of 21 years. At the age of ten, she participated in a demonstration which resulted in 15 days of detention. When she was 13 years old, she was arrested again for participating in another demonstration. To young to go to trial, she spent nine months in prison, where she was mistreated. Upon her release from prison, she was forbidden from joining her monastery, as are all religious figures, traditional Tibetan prisoners of conscience. Approximately two years later, on 12 June 1992, her father, Namgyal Tashi and her brother Tenzin Sherab, were arrested for demonstrating. Her father was condemned to eight years is prison. He remains in prison at Drapchi and was supposed to be released in August 1999. Her mother, Jampa Choezom, crushed by these events, died three days after police decended upon the family home. The eldest son was executed in 1976. In that same month of June 1992, at the age of 15, Ngawang Sangdrol tried to demonstrate in Lhasa, accompanied by other nuns from Garu and monks from Ganden. She was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison. Her sentence was judged arbitrary—and for this reason illegal—by a committee of the United Nations which has called for her release on the grounds that she was sentenced for exercising her freedom of expression. The Chinese authorities did not consider Article 17 of the Chinese penal code, which stipulates that minors under the age of 16 cannot be held responsible for any infraction. Ngawang Sangdrol was 15 when she was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison on 17 June 1992 for "counter-revolutionary activity." Her brother, Jamphel Tenzin, who now resides in India, testifies that Ngawang Sangdrol was indeed born in 1977.

In 1993, while under detention, together with 13 other nuns, she recorded songs and poems on a tape recorder brought into the prison clandestinely. These songs were poetic, non-violent, and dedicated to those who supported them. The sentences of the 14 young women were doubled or tripled. Ngawang Sangdrol was beaten severely. In spring 1996, the authorities in Drapchi prison organized meetings with the apparent goal of assuring that the prisoners wouldn't create trouble over the Dalai Lama's choice of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima as the Eleventh Panchen Lama. During these meetings, Ngawang Sangdrol protest against the choice of another child by Chiense authorities and was severely beaten. In response to these mistreatments, she began a hunger strike together with another nun. They were then accused of "doing damage to the national repution." At the conclusion of these events, the prison authorities imposed more severe discipline, in particular the cleaning of cells. Nuns who didn't respect the discipline were severely beaten. Ngawang Sangdrol was singled out for beatings and was transfered to solitary confinement under severe conditions. To protest against the unbeareable severity of such treatments, more than eighty women in Ngawang Sangdrol's unit joined in a hunger strike. The prison authorities threatened these women, pointing out that medical procedures existed in the prison to put an end to their strike which "wounded the national reputation." That hunger strike movement was able to last only four days in Drapchi prison. In October 1996, Ngawang Sangdrol did not clean her cell nor did she rise for the visit of an official cadre—a brigade commander. She was accused of insubordination, even though her attitude could be seen as expressing profound distress resulting from the severity of her sentence. She was also accused of having shouted "Free Tibet!" and then, along with other prisoners, she was forced to remain standing in the rain as punishment for not cleaning her cell. Other privations followed: being placed in an isolation cell without windows or light, receiving only a small daily ration of food. The severe torture inflicted on her resulted in a serious wound on her right leg. Her physical condition deteriorated alarmingly. Lobsang Dolma, who had been detained along with Ngawang Sangdrol and who spent five years in Drapchi prison with her, affirmed that for a long time she had had kidney stones and hadn't been able to receive any treatment except in the prison clinic.

Ngawang Sangdrol is reported to have participated in a peaceful protest in May 1998 in Drapchi prison, in Lhasa. This protest was brutally repressed, and at least 11 prisoners were killed by prison guards, two shot to death. Five nuns died as a result of extremely severe torture, and four other prisoners died as a result of beatings during or after the demonstration. In the course of these events, Ngawang Sangdrol was severely beaten and placed in an isolation cell. Weakened by lack of food and the absence of medical case, tortured, she remains in solitary confinement. According to a reliable source from Tibet, Ngawang Sandrol's sentence has been lengthened by another four years because of her participation in the May 1998 demonstration in Drapchi prison.

Sentenced to 21 years imprisonment, Ngawang Sangdrol has received the heaviest penalty of any female prisoner of conscience in Tibet. Article 69 of the Chinese penal code stipulates that no sentence may exceed the maximum of 20 years. The recent extension of Ngawang Sangdrol's sentence to21 years is therefore a violation of Chinese law.

We demand the release of Ngawang Sangdrol on medical and humanitarian grounds. We also demand that information be released about Ngawang Sangdrol's health with regard to her kidney problems.

Tanak Jigme Sangpo
Tanak Jigme Sangpo is a 72-year-old Tibetan professor. He is the oldest of the Tibetan prisoners of conscience. He received the longest sentence in Tibet, despite his poor health. He was arrested in 1983 for pasting on the wall of a temple in Lhasa a poster protesting the Chinese authorities. He is currently in Drapchi prison.

Tanak Jigme Sangpo has already served 13 years in prison for simply expressing opinions contrary to those of the Chinese authorities on the subject of freedom for Tibet. In prison, he has continued to protest against the absence of freedom for Tibet, and his sentence was extended by five years in 1988 and by eight years in 1992.

According to Article 69 of the Chinese penal code (which stipulates that a sentence cannot exceed a maximum of 20 years), the extension of Tanak Jigme Sangpo's sentence to 28 years is a violation of Chinese law.

The years of imprisonment that he has endured and the tortures which he has suffered have rendered him extremely weak and his vision has deteriorated profoundly. He suffers from hypertension, which may jeopardize his survival if it isn't correctly treated.

When he is scheduled to be freed, in 2011, he will have spent 28 years in uninterrupted detention; he will be 85 years old. He will have spent a total of 44 years in prison, simply for the non-violent expression of his opinions.

The sentence of this prisoner of conscience seems disproportionate in relation to an offense that's a matter of freedom of expression. We demand information regarding his health and the treatments which he has been able to receive. But above all, we demand the liberation of Tanak Jigme Sangpo, now 72 years of age, for medical and humanitarian reaons, and notably the fact that a 28-year sentence is illegal under Chinese law.

Gendhun Choekyi Nyima (Panchen Lama), child of 10 years, disappeared.
The treatment received by Tibetan political prisoners is terrible, and a youth among them is unthinkable: Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, 10-year-old Tibetan child, the Tenth Panchen Lama. On 14 May 1995, the Dalai Lama recognized Gendhun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second spiritual authority of Tibet, who would designate the next Dalai Lama. The Chinese government rejected this choice and denied the Dalai Lama the right to recognize the Panchen Lama according to the traditional Tibetan multi-sect system. The Chinese government proclaimed that it alone had the authority to choose the Panchen Lama's reincarnation, and furthermore, indicated that was "was none of the Dalai Lama's business." According to information that we have received, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima and his family have been detained in China since their abduction by Chinese authorities on 17 May 1995. The Chinese authorities indicated that China considered the Panchen Lama's nomination from a political perspective. On 29 November 1995, those authorities arbitrarily designated as Panchen Lama another child, the son of a Chinese Communist Party member. This political interference in the cultural and religious domain is a grave error compatible neither with religious freedom nor with the notion of spiritual authority recognized by the Buddhist community. Tibetans are very worried about this unprecedented action: "If the new Panchen Lama doesn't receive from true monks, in good and proper form, a true monk's education, that will be a final blow to our culture," a Tibetan analyst notes. This action by the Chinese authorities, in using the Buddhist religion to serve political goals, will lead to the destruction of Tibet's spiritual character and to the absence of recognition by the Buddhist community of spiritual authorities named to serve political goals. The detention of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima in a secret location also has implications in the areas of children's rights and of religious freedom. Gendhun Choekyi Nyima, his father Konckok Phuntsog, and his mother Dechen Choden come from the village of Lhari, in Nagchu, located in the northeast portion of Tibet. It seems totally inexplicable to us that Tibétains who speak Chinese poorly and much prefer their mountains would voluntarily choose to go live in China, near Beijing, as certain rumors would have us believe. Furthermore, we cannot believe the Chinese authorities when they state that this family wishes to place themselves in the care of strangers in this affair. The discovery of a high incarnation such as the Panchen Lama in a family is always felt to be an immense honor and great blessing by Tibetans. In the past, it has never occurred that the Panchen Lama has not been recognized by the Dalai Lama; this is an historic fact which the Chinese authorities must recognize and which renders totally impossible the legitimacy of their candidate, as well as that of an eventual future Dalai Lama whom they probably would want to name.

The motivation of the Chinese political authorities seems to be to utilize the Buddhist religion to serve political goals, thereby destroying its spiritual character. The separation of political and religion domains is as essential to guarantee freedom of belief as that of citizens. We demand that a delegation of the Children's Rights Committee of the United Nations be allowed to visit Gendhun Choekyi Nyima (the 11th Panchen Lama) wherever he may be.

Kabukye Rinpoche, Abbot of Nubzur Monastery, imprisoned for 6 years.
Kabukye Rinpoche (also called Nazod Rinpoché ) is a great Tibetan Lama in Kham (a Tibetan region currently subsumed by Sichuan province), responsible for Nubzur monastery. He was arrested on June 10, 1996, and sentenced to six years in prison for expressing his opposition to local government policies regarding gold mining near his monastery. He also expressed his concern about explosives utilized to break up rocks on the hillside, causing serious problems for nomad groups. He also indicated that mining was causing erosion of farmlands. Kabukye Rinpoche was accused by the authorities of posting pro-independence messages which appeared at the time of the 40th anniversary of the founding of Serta county, on July 25, 1995. On the day following his arrest, a team of Chinese security officials appeared at his monastery, entering his quarters and confiscating posters and a camera. According to information received by Tibet Information Network (TIN), Kabukye Rinpoche denied belonging to any pro-independence movement or having had contacts with foreigners. He pointed out that he had only written a letter to the authorities to denounce the problems caused by the mine near Nubzur monastery as well as those caused by massive Chinese immigration into that region. We must point out that, contrary to statements by Chinese authorities, the Tibetan people have become a minority, because there are approximately 7.5 million Chinese compared to 5.8 million Tibetans in Tibet (including the U-Tsang or Tibetan "Austonomous" region, Kham and Amdo). Tibetans living in the region as well as the monks in the monastery are opposed to the manner in which mineral resources are being exploited. This opposition has taken on increasing importance since the installation of a mine on the mountain near Nubzur monastery. According to TIN's sources, since 1992 the mine has drawn more than 300 Chinese miners who have come to augment the already considerable Chinese presence in the autonomous Tibetan county.. Kabukye Rinpoche was treated in a particularly inhuman manner. Detained in a miniscule cell with neither window nor light, he received little nourishment; he was constantly beaten and deprived of sleep even during the night. He was forced to strip, so close to a burning fire that he lost consciousness and fell into the flames, causing serious burns to his right arm. On top of that, he had to remain kneeling for hours, so that his knees became so terribly damaged that he could no longer stand upright. Kabukye Rinpoche remained in detention until he was sentenced on October 27, 1996, to six years' imprisonment, in addition to a fine of 8,000 RMB (US$964) for the crime of "counter-revolutionary splittism." The report indicates that none of his family members or friends were informed of his hearing or of where the sentence was rendered. The current location in which Kabukye Rinpoche has been detained is not known. Kabukye Rinpoche has suffered from cardiac problems since his arrest and it is feared that his condition will be aggravated by poor prison conditions.

The sentence of this prisoner of conscience seems disproportionate in relation to an offense that consists of freedom of expression. We do not know where Kabukye Rinpoche may be found. We have no further information regarding his health or any medical treatment he may have received. We demand that Kabukye Rinpoche be freed on medical and humanitarian grounds.

Gyaye Phuntsok, 68 years of age, school director, popular representative, Tibetan committee consulting member, was arrested in August 1998.
According to news that we recently received from TIN, Gyaye Phuntsog was tortured at the police station where he was held prisoner for interrogation. He is currently receiving treatment at the hospital in Chabcha (Chinese: Gonghe) county. His legs are swollen and he has been incapable of walking without crutches since his release.

In August 1998, Gyaye Phuntsok (also called Galyi Phuntsok), a Tibetan from Qinghai (Amdo), 68 years old, was arrested by national security officials. Phuntsog was sentenced to six years in prison in July 1999, for "damaging national stability" and was recently released on medical parole after being mistreated during his detention. Gyaye Phuntsok was born into a nomad family in 1931. He studied Buddhist philosophy, Tibetan language, and mathematics. He was arrested in 1949 at the time of the Chinese invasion and during the Cultural Revolution in 1960. He has suffered several physical torture. After the Cultural Revolution, when the political climate became more tolerant, he was released.

After his release, Phuntsok initiated a building project to ameliorate the situation of the Tibetan people. He had described the problems and difficulties encountered by the Tibetan people to the previous Communist Party Secretary, Hu Yaobang, during his visit in June 1980. The village of Gyaye is located near Lake Kokonor. The majority of the once-fertile land is now occupied by the military batallion at Landrou, which has resulted in an impoverishment of agricultural lands, creating problems for the local nomads. When Phuntsok became aware of this environmental problem, he, together with a group of nomads, discussed it with officers of the military batallion at Landrou. Their efforts resulted in the return of half of the lost land, and an increase in electrical and water capacity.

Having learned of the difficulties that local children had in receiving education, Phuntsok requested and was granted permission from the appropriate local authorities to establish a school. The majority of funding for the school came from private donations and a German grant. He also received funding from "Project Hope," a movement initiated by the Beijing-based China Youth Development Foundation in 1989 and partially sponsored by UNESCO. Phuntsok took care of the school's general administration along with six permanent staff members. The school offered Chinese, Tibetan, English and mathematics instruction to 60 students. A German professor taught English in this school, which was a first in all of the Tibetan Autonomous Region and the former Tibet (Amdo et Kham). The children who attended classes in this school came from the poorest families living in the region and had never before received instruction in Tibetan.

For all these reasons, the people of the region admired Phuntsok and praised his contribution to the community. They elected him as their popular representative. He was also named by the Chinese authorities as a political consultant for the county of Gong-hai, in the TAR province of Qinghai.

In March 1992, Gyaye Phuntsok visited India on pilgrimage with his Chinese papers in order. Upon his return in June 1992, he was interrogated on several occasions. He remained under the continuous surveillance of the Public Security Bureau's general intelligence services. In August 1998, his home was pillaged, investigations were conducted and some books containing discussions of the Dalai Lama were confiscated. Gyaye Phuntsok was then arrested and taken away in a truck by officials of the National Security Department. Phuntsok was incarcerated and tortured in a prison in Qinghai. In his absence, his projects, such as the school which he founded, are deteriorating.

We demand that his release be unconditional. In fact, it is common for prisoners who are released on medical parole, often as a result of severe wounds resulting from torture, to be incarcerated anew following treatment if they don't die.

FRANCE-TIBET (Association Loi 1901)
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