On 2 December, 2023 a Tibetan woman Semkyi Dolma from Damxung County (Ch: Dang Xiong), Lhasa city, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) was sentenced to one and a half years in prison on charges of ‘leaking State Secrets’. She was allegedly sentenced for creating two religious groups on WeChat during the Covid lockdown in Tibet in 2021. Both the groups were actively used by its members to share information and offer prayers for those affected by the pandemic in Tibet. Both the WeChat groups have been deleted as of now by the Chinese authorities.

Following the arrest of Semkyi Dolma, her family members including her brother, Mr Tsedo went to the police station several times to enquire about her whereabouts, but the authorities refused to speak with him.