Passang Dhondup was a Tibetan student from Lhasa. He was 12 years old when he participated in the 1987 pro-independence demonstrations in Lhasa. During the protest near Barkhor Police Station, he was shot in the stomach by security forces, sustaining life-threatening injuries that required surgery, blood transfusions, and five months of hospitalization. After his discharge, he was arrested by Chinese police, interrogated about other demonstrators, and subjected to torture, including beatings, kicks, slaps, and electric cattle prods. He was held in solitary confinement for seven days, denied family visits and adequate food, and released only after his parents reportedly paid 1,000 yuan. He continued to suffer from his injuries, including chronic stomach pain, before fleeing Tibet and arriving in India on 30 November 1993, where he provided testimony documenting the abuses he endured.