Namdol Tenzin, a 16-year-old nun from Toelung Dechen County, joined Tsangkhug Nunnery at the age of 15. She participated in protests in 1988 and 1989 but escaped arrest. In January 1990, officials from the Government Work Department arrested her and another nun, Jampa Dolker, for opposing the department’s entry into the nunnery.

Both were detained at Gutsa Prison, where they were subjected to electrocution, severe torture, and four months of detention. During this period, blood was forcibly extracted twice without consent. Although they were eventually released, they were expelled from the nunnery.

In September 1990, Namdol Tenzin departed from her home and escaped into exile, arriving in Dharamsala, India, in November 1990. Her husband, Jamphel Tsetan, had earlier participated in the 27 September 1987 protest and was subsequently imprisoned.