On 6 May 1996, a Chinese “work team” arrived at Gaden Monastery and issued a strict order prohibiting the display of pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The monks of Gaden Monastery collectively refused to comply, declaring that they would rather sacrifice their lives than remove the images. In response, Chinese authorities employed force, resulting in injuries to two monks and the arrest of approximately forty individuals that day.

The following day, all pictures of the Dalai Lama that had been displayed on the monastery shrine were forcibly removed. Over the ensuing months, arrests continued, and by August 1998, a total of sixty-two monks and one layperson had been detained. Several monks received lengthy prison sentences: Jampa Thaye and Dueshe Lobsang Dawa were sentenced to five years; Lobsang Tenzin received an eleven-year sentence; and Atsak, Phuntsok Dhondup, Lobsang Dawa, Lobsang Wangchuk, and Kunchok Dhondup were each sentenced to twelve years’ imprisonment.