Ngawang Tobchen
POLITICAL PRISONER- Does it have an image?
- No
- Gender
- Male
- Origin County Level
- Origin Province
- Tibet Autonomous Region
- Origin Prefecture
- Lhasa
- Occupation at Detention
- Religious
- Vulnerable Group at Detention
- Religious
- Date of arrest
- 11/03/1988
- Detention Centre/Prison
- Gutsa Prison
- Description of event
Venerable Ngawang Tobchen participated in a demonstration in Lhasa, Tibet, and was subsequently arrested by the Chinese authorities. He was imprisoned and tortured from 11 March 1988 until 24 February 1989, during which time he was held in three different detention facilities in Lhasa: Gutsa Detention Centre, Sangyip Prison, and Outithu Prison.
Following his release, Venerable Ngawang Tobchen was expelled from Drepung Monastery in Lhasa.
- Place(s) of Previous Detention
- Prison
- Violations Faced in Detention
- Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment: Use of Tiger Chairs
- Details of Violations Faced in Detention
Facing continued persecution, he escaped to India in December 1989. After his arrival, he underwent medical treatment at the Tibetan Astro Medical Institute in Dharamsala. As a result of the severe torture he suffered during detention, his chest was permanently deformed and four of his ribs were broken.
In March 1990, Venerable Ngawang Tobchen testified about his experiences before the International Friends of Tibet Meeting held at the Central Tibetan Secretariat in Dharamsala from 7 to 10 March 1990, providing firsthand evidence of the abuses he endured while in detention.
- Types of Human Rights Violations
- 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
- 1 year
- Prison Location
- Type of Sources
- Primary: TCHRD field sources
- Torture
- Torture
- Published
- Published