Dharamshala — Chinese authorities arrested a Tibetan monk from Rebgong County, in March this year, for posting the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his social media platform (Wechat). After five months in detention, he was sentenced by a Chinese court last month to one and a half years in prison.
According to a reliable source, in August 2024, a Tibetan monk named Jampa Choephel was sentenced to one and a half years' imprisonment by the Rebgong County People's Court in a secret trial, at which his family members were not allowed to attend and were threatened not to reveal his information to outside Tibet.
On March 10, 2024, Ven Jampa Choephel posted a short teaching of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet in exile, on his social network (Wechat), to commemorate the day of the 1959 Tibetan uprising against China's illegal occupation of Tibet, during which thousands of people were killed, and Tibetans commemorated this day as a tribute to their courage. A few days later, the Chinese police of Rebgong County arrived at his residence, arrested him and took him to the county's detention centre.
“Ven Jampa Choephel was arrested by Chinese police in mid-March, 2024 and held in a prison in GuRi-Tang (གུ་ར་ཐང་), Rebgong (Tongren) County, Malho (Huangnan), in northern eastern of Tibet. The Chinese authorities detained and interrogated him from March 22, 2024 to August 22, 2024. After five months in detention, Ven Jampa was sentenced to 18 months in prison, in August 2024 by the Rebgong County People's Court for posting teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” the source told Tibet Post.
The source added by saying, “Ven Jampa was transferred from Rebgong county prison to a prison in Xining city (ཟི་ལིང་), Tso-Ngon province, Amdo region, north-eastern Tibet, on September 22, 2024; where he is due to serve his prison sentence.”
In 1986, Ven Jampa Choephel fled to India and studied at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics in Dharamshala, Kangra, HP, India, for 10 years and graduated from the Institute. He returned to Tibet in 1996. He lives at Penkar-Tang monastery (རེབ་གོང་སྨད་པའི་སྤེན་དཀར་ཐང་དགོན) in Rebgong County. Since he learned English in India and good in Tibetan calligraphy, he has been teaching English and Tibetan calligraphy to interested students. He also used to practise meditation in monasteries and sacred places, as well as visited monasteries in Tibet.
Ever since Ven Jampa returned to Tibet from India, he has been under constant surveillance by the Chinese police, particularly during Tibetan festivals. When the festival arrives, the Chinese police spy on his residence and its walls. The Chinese authorities are very strict with all Tibetans, especially those who have returned to Tibet after studying and knowing the true situation of Tibet in free countries.
The Chinese government has banned everything to do with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibet, including his photos, books and teachings, even though Tibetans inside Tibet have an unshakeable faith and belief in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. If the Chinese authorities find out that Tibetans are showing their faith in His Holiness by posting photos, teaching on social networks and keeping their books, they will be beaten, arrested and even imprisoned, just like Ven Jampa and many other Tibetans who have been arrested and imprisoned for years for having faith in His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Chinese government is violating fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and freedom of religion in Tibet.
