Lukhar Jham, born on 3 February 1969 in Qinghai, was arrested in March 1993 while attempting to leave Tibet. He was accused by the Chinese authorities of espionage and of leading so-called counter-revolutionary activities. The charges alleged that he had collected and attempted to smuggle secret documents, promoted pro-independence ideas, and organized revolutionary groups with links to foreign organizations.

Lukhar Jham consistently denied all allegations against him. Nevertheless, the court found him guilty, and on 28 July 1995 he was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment, followed by an additional five years of deprivation of political rights.