Dharamshala: In the latest video clips from Tibet, Gonpo Kyi, the elder sister of the renowned imprisoned Tibetan entrepreneur Dorjee Tashi, reveals how she was physically assaulted by a group of Chinese police near Drapchi prison yesterday. In the video, Gonpo Kyi says, “On 1 August, I approached the police station near Drapchi prison and requested the authorities’ permission to meet with my brother under the provisions of the country’s constitution and law. Since I had no other choice, I prostrated before the authorities and requested that the process be carried out as per the Chinese Constitution. The authorities violently dragged me to the ground and charged me with violating the law for prostrating.” As she shows the bruises on her arms and elbows, she says, “These are the proof of the beatings and draggings I suffered at the hands of the prison police. Around four or five police dragged me around like an animal since I requested to meet with my imprisoned brother as I had no other choice.”
A month earlier, on 13 July, Gonpo Kyi raised her deep concern over her brother Dorjee Tashi’s wellbeing in a video statement and demanded permission to visit him as required by Chinese law and the constitution.
For over 15 years, Dorje Tashi has been jailed in a Chinese prison. Over the years, Dorjee Tashi’s family members have been showing growing concerns over his health conditions due to series of torture and beatings he has been subjected. Despite numerous requests for a fair trial and a revision of the case, he continues to remain behind bars. His family has been denied visiting him in prison, and appeals to higher authorities proved fruitless. Dorjee Tashi was initially arrested on 10 July 2008 on suspicion of making donations to Tibetan exiles and providing funding to Tibetan protestors in Tibet. He was sentenced to life imprisonment on 17 May 2010.
-Filed by the UN, EU, and the Human Rights Desk, Tibet Advocacy Section, DIIR
