Lobsang Tenpa
POLITICAL PRISONER- Does it have an image?
- No
- Gender
- Male
- Age at Detention
- 25
- Origin County Level
- Origin County Geolocation
Latitude: 32.2583
Longitude: 91.675
- Origin County Geolocation (linked POLITICAL PRISONER)
- Amdo County ( ཨ་མདོ་རྫོང་། )
- Origin Prefecture
- Nagchu (Ch: Naqu) Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region,
- Occupation at Detention
- Religious
- Vulnerable Group at Detention
- Religious
- Date of arrest
- 14/02/1990
- Description of event
Lobsang Tenpa, a 25-year-old Tibetan from Amdo, has lived a life shaped by political repression, religious persecution, and eventual flight into exile. His family endured early hardship under Chinese occupation, with his father and uncles arrested for safeguarding religious artifacts and resisting Chinese authority. Due to his father’s political record, Tenpa was denied formal education and instead entered monastic life at the age of eleven.
In 1990, Tenpa, along with two fellow monks, was arrested for inscribing pro-Tibet slogans on monastery walls after Chinese authorities questioned the legitimacy of their monastery.
- Details of Violations Faced in Detention
During detention, they were subjected to torture, public humiliation, and forced labor, and were released only after receiving explicit threats. Despite these warnings, Tenpa persisted in his acts of resistance, which continued to draw the attention of Chinese authorities.
- Types of Human Rights Violations
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Freedom of Expression and Opinion
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Freedom of Religion or Belief
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to Liberty and security of person
- Civil and Political Rights Violations: Right to privacy
- Length of Sentence
- 7 months
- Consequences of Detention After Release
Fearing further persecution, Tenpa fled Tibet in 1992. His escape involved a perilous journey through Lhasa and the Himalayas into Nepal, during which he narrowly avoided capture and forced repatriation by Chinese forces. Upon reaching Kathmandu, he later relocated to Dharamsala due to ongoing health concerns.
Life in exile has presented additional challenges: Tenpa has faced poverty, social isolation, and the inability to return to monastic life, while remaining cut off from his family in Tibet. His story exemplifies the enduring struggle of Tibetans who resist political and religious oppression, often at great personal cost.
- Type of Sources
- Primary: TCHRD field sources
- Torture
- Torture
- Published
- Published