November 21, 2024: (Karma Samdrup. Source: The Central Tibetan Administration): Tibetan environmentalist and philanthropist Karma Samdrup was released after serving a 15-year prison sentence with five years of deprivation of political rights effective immediately. Based on media reports from exile, the Chinese sentencing document indicated Karma Samdrup’s imprisonment would continue until 19 November, with some evidence suggesting he might have been released around 18 November 2024. Samdrup reportedly suffers from a back-related health condition that prevents him from walking independently without assistance following his release.
Karma Samdrup was arrested and forcibly taken away on 3 January 2010. After being detained for several months and subjected to unimaginable torture, interrogation, and coercion, on June 24 of that year, the Yanqi Hui Xinjiang (East Turkestan) District Court wrongfully sentenced him to 15 years in prison on charges of tomb excavation and cultural relic theft. Although these charges had originally been levelled against him in 1998 in East Turkestan and subsequently cleared, they were revived in this prosecution.
Currently around 56 years old, Karma Samdrup hails from Sompa Village in Gonjo County, Tibet.
For More:
Central Tibetan Administration
(Gendun Lhundrup. Source: Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy): On 9 November, a respected Tibetan writer and intellectual, Rongwo Gendun Lhundup was released from a Chinese prison. While Tibetan writers, artists, intellectuals, and activists inside and outside Tibet celebrated his release on social media, the reality remains grim. Like all former Tibetan political prisoners convicted on trumped-up charges, Rongwo Gendun Lhundup, despite being released, is placed under heavy surveillance and restrictions.
Born in 1974 to a nomadic family in Rebkong (Ch: Tongren) City, Malho (Ch: Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, Rongwo Gendun Lhundup embraced monastic life at a young age. He began his studies at Darzing Monastery before continuing at Rongwo Monastery in Rebkong, Labrang Tashi Kyil, and Serta Larung. He served as a teacher alongside his academic pursuits, nurturing countless monastic and lay students.
Rongwo Gendun Lhundup has been a dedicated educator for over two decades, mentoring nearly a thousand students while contributing to preserving and promoting Tibetan literature and culture. With the rise of the internet, he became a widely recognised blogger, poet, and cultural critic, writing under various pen names such as ‘Za’ (Planet/Celestial Body), ‘Ge Nyon’ (Mad Monk), and ‘Lham Kog’ (Shoe). His literary contributions, spanning creative writing, editing, and teaching, established him as a pivotal figure in modern Tibetan intellectual discourse. However, his visibility and influence also made him a target of the Chinese authorities, resulting in repeated interrogations and detentions.
On 2 December 2020, Rongwo Gendun Lhundup was detained by Chinese authorities. A year later, on December 2021, the Xining Intermediate People’s Court sentenced him to four years in prison on charges of “inciting separatism” coupled with two additional years of deprivation of political rights, reflecting the ongoing criminalisation of Tibetan intellectuals who challenge oppressive policies and advocate for the preservation of Tibetan identity and culture.
For More:
Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy
The US Congressional Executive Commission on China (CECC) maintains a political prisoner database. Information on Karma Samdrup and Gedun Lhundrup is available at:
https://www.ppdcecc.gov/ppd?id=result&number=2010-00198
https://www.ppdcecc.gov/ppd?id=result&number=2022-00024
