Gelek Nyima, aged 40, taught thangka painting — a traditional Tibetan Buddhist art form — at the Gyatso Institute for Orphans. Through his work, he contributed to the preservation of Tibetan artistic heritage and cultural identity among young Tibetan students.

In 1999, he was detained together with other members of the school staff during the crackdown on the institution. The closure of the school halted the transmission of traditional Tibetan artistic education and left numerous students without guidance or educational support. His arrest reflected increasing governmental suspicion toward independent Tibetan cultural and religious institutions.