Jigme Yangchen
POLITICAL PRISONER- Does it have an image?
- No
- Gender
- Female
- Age at Detention
- 23
- Origin County Level
- Origin County Geolocation
Latitude: 29.2894699
Longitude: 90.9842099999999
- Origin County Geolocation (linked POLITICAL PRISONER)
- Gongkar County(གོང་དཀར་རྫོང་། )
- Origin Province
- Tibet Autonomous Region
- Origin Prefecture
- Lhasa
- Occupation at Detention
- Religious
- Vulnerable Group at Detention
- Religious
- Date of arrest
- 01/10/1990
- Detention Centre/Prison
- Drapchi Prison
- Description of event
Jigme Yangchen, born in 1972 in Kyimshe, Lhoka Gongkar, is a Tibetan nun of Shugseb Nunnery. At age 18, she was arrested in 1990 for participating in a peaceful protest in Lhasa alongside five other nuns, chanting slogans such as “Free Tibet” and “Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” She was initially sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in Drapchi Prison.
- Violations Faced in Detention
- No Fair Trial: No family meet ups
- Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: Solitary Confinement
- Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: Use of Tiger Chairs
- Details of Violations Faced in Detention
Jigme Yangchen, born in 1972 in Kyimshe, Lhoka Gongkar, is a Tibetan nun of Shugseb Nunnery. At age 18, she was arrested in 1990 for participating in a peaceful protest in Lhasa alongside five other nuns, chanting slogans such as “Free Tibet” and “Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama.” She was initially sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in Drapchi Prison.
While incarcerated, Jigme endured severe torture, including beatings with rods, belts, and electric cattle prods, particularly during a 1992 protest when she and other nuns refused to wear prison uniforms. In 1993, she secretly recorded messages affirming her devotion to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan cause, leading authorities to extend her sentence by five years, totaling 12 years.
- Types of Human Rights Violations
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Freedom of Expression and Opinion
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Liberty and security of person
- Length of Sentence
- 12 years
- Prison Location
- Consequences of Detention After Release
She suffered extreme physical abuse, resulting in permanent health damage; she remains severely underweight, pale, and afflicted with internal injuries. Following the Drapchi Prison protests in May 1998, she was denied visitation rights, leaving her further isolated.
- Type of Sources
- Primary: TCHRD field sources
- Torture
- Torture
- Comments
The other nuns arrested and involved in related activism include:
Woeser Chokey (born 1966)
Penpa Dolkar (born 1966)
Palden Choedon (born 1966)
Chime Dickey (born 1966)
Rinzin Chokey (born 1966)
- Published
- Published