After six months of unlawful detention, he was formally charged with “espionage” in 1998 and sentenced to 14 years in prison. During his imprisonment, Phuntsok was held in inhumane conditions and subjected to repeated beatings, torture-induced forced confessions, and prolonged solitary confinement. A letter he wrote from prison describing the situation in Tibet and the torture of monks led to further punishment. Later reports indicated that he developed signs of mental instability, believed to be the result of sustained physical abuse and severe psychological trauma endured during years of detention.