Thupten Gyaltsen, a Tibetan student from Meldro Gongkar County, was arrested on 26 March 1988 for participating in a pro-independence demonstration in Lhasa. He was detained in Gutsa Prison, where he was subjected to repeated interrogations, severe torture, and inhumane detention conditions. After nine months in custody, he was sentenced to one and a half years' imprisonment and transferred to Drapchi Prison, where he was forced to perform hard labour. Having already served nine months in detention, he was released on 27 September 1989 after enduring prolonged physical abuse and imprisonment for his political activities.