Sonam Dolkar
POLITICAL PRISONER- Does it have an image?
- No
- Gender
- Female
- Age at Detention
- 23
- Origin County Level
- Origin County Geolocation
Latitude: 29.6526199
Longitude: 91.13775
- Origin County Geolocation (linked POLITICAL PRISONER)
- Lhasa(ལྷ་ས།)
- Origin Province
- Tibet Autonomous Region
- Origin Prefecture
- Lhasa
- Occupation at Detention
- Trade
- Date of arrest
- 30/08/1990
- Detention Centre/Prison
- Gutsa Prison
- Description of event
Sonam Dolkar, a Tibetan laywoman from Lhasa born in 1967, formerly worked as a tailor. She was arrested on 30 August 1990 for participating in demonstrations between 1987 and 1990 and for helping to prepare documents about imprisoned nuns. She was detained without trial and subjected to repeated interrogation and severe torture, including beatings, electric shocks from cattle prods, and prolonged solitary confinement.
- Violations Faced in Detention
- Denial of Medical Treatment
- No Fair Trial: No family meet ups
- No Fair Trial: No legal representation
- Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: Solitary Confinement
- Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: Use of Tiger Chairs
- Details of Violations Faced in Detention
She was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment but was released on medical parole after more than a year due to serious injuries and illness. During her detention, she endured malnutrition, extreme cold, unsanitary conditions, and denial of medical care, resulting in lasting abdominal and spinal pain. In 1991, Sonam Dolkar escaped from Tibet and later reached Dharamsala, India.
- Types of Human Rights Violations
- Legal and Procedural Rights Violations: Right to Fair Trial
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Freedom of Expression and Opinion
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Liberty and security of person
- Length of Sentence
- 10 years
- Prison Location
- Type of Sources
- Primary: TCHRD field sources
- Torture
- Torture
- Published
- Published