Jigme Gyatso
POLITICAL PRISONER- Does it have an image?
- No
- Gender
- Male
- Age at Detention
- 34
- Origin County Level
- Sangchu County (བསང་ཆུ་རྫོང་།)
- Origin Province
- Gansu Province
- Origin Prefecture
- Kanlho (Ch: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
- Occupation at Detention
- Religious
- Vulnerable Group at Detention
- Religious
- Grounds for Detention
- Counter revolutionary
- Date of arrest
- 03/03/1996
- Detention Centre/Prison
- Drapchi Prison
- Description of event
Jigme Gyatso, born in 1962, is a monk of Gaden Monastery who became actively involved in pro-independence political activities in the late 1980s. After returning from India, where he had traveled to receive a religious initiation, he joined Gaden Monastery and began distributing posters and written materials advocating Tibetan independence. He also emerged as a leading figure in a clandestine organization known as the Association of Tibetan Freedom Movement.
On 17 January 1992, Jigme Gyatso was arrested at Gaden Monastery during a large-scale security crackdown in Lhasa, though no formal charges were immediately brought against him. In 1993, the arrest of his associate, Samdup Tsering, and a subsequent confession led authorities to designate Jigme as a “wanted splittist.” He remained in hiding until March 1996, when he was apprehended at a restaurant in Lhasa.
- Place(s) of Previous Detention
- Prison
- Violations Faced in Detention
- Denial of Medical Treatment
- 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
Following his arrest, Jigme Gyatso was detained at Gutsa Detention Centre, where he was held in an interrogation cell for six months and subjected to severe torture and repeated beatings. After being discovered attempting to send a letter, he was again brutally assaulted, further aggravating his physical condition. In May 1997, he was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment on charges of “disseminating counter-revolutionary propaganda” and organizing the Association of Tibetan Freedom Movement. He rejected legal counsel and denied all accusations.
While incarcerated, his health deteriorated significantly. In 1998, he was beaten unconscious by prison guards after protesting against their conduct and was taken to an undisclosed location, where he was tortured for nine days. By 1999, his medical condition had become critical, compounded by the death of his mother and the absence of family support. Jigme Gyatso was also among those placed in solitary confinement following the Drapchi Prison protests in May 1998.
- 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 Liberty and security of person
- Length of Sentence
- 15 years
- Prison Location
- Type of Sources
- Primary: TCHRD field sources
- Torture
- Torture
- Comments
Sentenced alongside Jigme Gyatso in May 1997:
Dhargyal (born 1968) – 5 years’ imprisonment
Yeshi Gyaltsen (born 1966) – 5 years’ imprisonment
Lobsang Woeser (born 1963) – 5 years’ imprisonment
Tseten – 5 years’ imprisonment
Others associated with the case:
Samdup Tsering – Arrested in 1993 and sentenced to 5 years for “inciting counter-revolutionary propaganda”
Sichoe Tsering (born 1971) – Sentenced to 2 years in Trisam Re-education Through Labour Prison
Lobsang – Fell seriously ill in detention and was released on medical parole in September 1998
Gonpo Tseten – Intended recipient of a letter from Jigme Gyatso; imprisonment not confirmed
Three unidentified friends – Transferred with Jigme Gyatso to Drapchi Prison in May 1998, likely among those listed above
- Published
- Published