Pa Ngawang, born in 1954, was a bicycle repairman from Shigatse. He was arrested on 1 January 1996 on suspicion of pasting political posters in front of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. He was initially detained for one month in Nyari Prison before being sentenced to six years’ imprisonment and transferred to Drapchi Prison.

Pa Ngawang had previously been arrested for political activities, making him a repeated target of the authorities. His imprisonment left his wife and two children without their main source of income, placing the family in serious financial hardship.