Tsering Dhondup was a 28-year-old Tibetan monk from the Nechung Institute of Buddhist Studies in Lhasa. He was arrested at his college by Chinese security officials and soldiers on the 27th day of the first month of the Tibetan calendar without being informed of the reasons for his arrest. During the arrest, he was shackled, beaten, and initially detained at Shing Chen Tru before being transferred to Gutsa Prison. He was later tried in secret by the People's Court on 16 April and charged with murder, while his family was denied access to both the trial and subsequent visits. During interrogation, he was reportedly subjected to severe torture, including being suspended upside down from the ceiling and beaten with electric batons to force him to implicate others. He was held in harsh conditions, provided with inadequate food, denied family visits for over nine months, and suffered deteriorating health while in detention.