Nyima Dhondup was a former local government official in Shigatse County under the Chinese administration. After he openly discussed and promoted Tibetan issues among his colleagues and co-workers, he was stripped of his official position and reassigned to menial labour. Following his demotion, he earned a modest living as a bicycle repairman.

In 1996, Nyima Dhondup was arrested on suspicion of pasting pro-Tibetan posters in the main market on three separate occasions. He was immediately detained at Nyari Detention Centre, where he remained for two months awaiting formal sentencing. Chinese authorities subsequently charged him with “counter-revolutionary” activities, inciting the masses, and supporting “splittism,” a term commonly used against expressions of Tibetan political dissent. He was later sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in Drapchi Prison.