Jamphel Sherab
POLITICAL PRISONER- Does it have an image?
- No
- Gender
- Male
- Age at Detention
- 31
- Origin County Level
- Lhoka Prefecture
- Origin County Geolocation
Latitude: 29.24
Longitude: 91.77
- Origin County Geolocation (linked POLITICAL PRISONER)
- Lhoka Prefecture
- Origin Prefecture
- Lhoka (Ch: Shannan) Prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous Region
- Date of arrest
- 11/10/1988
- Description of event
Jamphel Sherab, aged 31, is a Tibetan from Gonka County in Lhoka Tachoe and a former monk of Drepung Monastery. He was born into a family of eleven, with one brother living in India and another residing at Drepung Monastery. Sherab began his education at Jishong Primary School and joined Drepung Monastery in 1983 at the age of 14.
He became actively involved in peaceful political resistance against Chinese rule in Tibet. On 27 September 1988, he participated in a major demonstration in Lhasa in which six monks raised slogans calling for Tibetan freedom. Sherab played a prominent role in the protest alongside monks including Ngawang Zegen and Jamphel Wangchuk, under the leadership of senior organizers such as Ngawang Samphen.
- Violations Faced in Detention
- 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
Eleven days after the demonstration, Sherab was arrested and subjected to severe torture during interrogation, including repeated beatings and electric shocks. He was detained for approximately 18 months, during which time he was denied basic rights, including parole. While imprisoned, he was held together with criminal prisoners and endured ongoing abuse and beatings by prison guards.
- 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 Freedom of Movement
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Liberty and security of person
- Length of Sentence
- 18 months
- Consequences of Detention After Release
Following his release, Sherab lived under strict surveillance and was denied the right to pursue education or continue religious practice. Facing persistent repression and disillusionment with the state-controlled education system, he escaped Tibet via Nepal and reached India in October 2000. He expressed a strong wish to continue his studies freely under the spiritual guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to speak out against increasing Chinese control and the erosion of religious freedom in Tibet.
- Type of Sources
- Primary: TCHRD field sources
- Torture
- Torture
- Comments
Main organizers of the protest:
Ngawang Samphen
Jamphel Wangchok
Ngawang Zegen (later detained with Sherab)
Other monks involved from the outset:
Ngawang Thosam
Ngawang Chemey
Additional arrests: On 11 October 1988, Jamphel Sherab was arrested together with Ngawang Zegen and Ngawang Zegen’s younger brother. They were later tortured in detention. While imprisoned, Sherab was also held alongside Lobsang Tenzin, Sonam Gyalpo, and Dorjee Tsering, though these individuals were not participants in the 1988 protest.
- Published
- Published