Further political prisoner profiles

Jigme Guri (also known as Jigme Gyatso), 42, is a monk at Labrang monastery in Amdo (Ch: Gansu Province). There were mass protests at Labrang on 14 March 2008: Jigme did not participate in these protests but was detained by authorities on 22 March and brutally beaten.

After his release and two months in hospital, he made a remarkable and incredibly courageous video statement to Voice of America, in which he showed his face and disclosed his full name. The statement, first broadcast on VOA on September 3 2008, described the extreme torture and mistreatment Jigme experienced in detention as well as his views on China’s devastating policies in Tibet and a possible resolution. He then went into hiding for several weeks before returning to his monastery, where he was detained again on November 4, 2008. He is being held in an unknown location in Lanzhou. There are serious concerns for his welfare.

In his statement to Voice of America, Jigme said: "Many of us support the Dalai Lama's Middle Way approach and the process of solving Tibet's issue through peaceful dialogue. But we are sad about being extremely oppressed today. Today, I, as a witness to truth, am telling the media the story of those Tibetans who were killed, those who underwent torture in prisons, and the countless others who have been forced to flee to the mountains and are too afraid to return to their homes, so that the media can truthfully report on these situations. This is my hope."

Sangye Lhamo, 26, is a nun at Dragkar nunnery in Kardze County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. She demonstrated with two other nuns, Tsewang Kando and Yeshi Lhadon, in the market square of Kardze Town in May 2008, shouting slogans and distributing leaflets calling for Tibet’s independence.

Approximately two hours after the nuns' protest, Rinchen Lhamo, a student, left her class during a break and, despite the heavy presence of police in the market square due to the earlier protest, unfurled a Tibetan flag and shouted slogans. According to several sources, she was injured after security personnel opened fire, before she was detained.

According to the International Campaign for Tibet, Tibetan nuns took a leading role in dissent in Kardze Prefecture in May, part of a “second wave” of protests that appeared to be in response to the harsh response to earlier acts of peaceful protests and stringent 'patriotic education' campaigns that compel Tibetans to denounce the Dalai Lama. By June, more than 80 nuns had been detained.

The risks taken by Sangye, Tsewang, Yeshi and Rinchen were were even more remarkable considering the crackdown that was already underway in Kardze at the time. It also underscores the futility of Chinese efforts to increase control over Tibetans by forcing them to denounce the Dalai Lama. Sangye Lhamo is from Serchuteng Township, Kardze County.

Rangjung, in his mid-20s, is a television newscaster and writer from Serthar (Ch: Seda) County, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Rangjung has presented news in Tibet for the local television channel for several years and he has published two books on Tibetan culture and history. He was detained at his home on 11 September 2008 by Public Security Bureau officials, who reportedly later removed a computer from his home that they said contained political documents. Rangjung’s whereabouts and the reason for his detention are unknown. (No photograph is available of Rangjung.)

Runggye Adak, 54, is a Tibetan nomad from Lithang, Kham (Ch: Sichuan) who was detained 1 August 2007 after calling for the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet. Adak stepped on stage at a Chinese government function commemorating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army and spoke to a crowd of several thousand Tibetans who had gathered for the annual Lithang horse-racing festival. Before he was detained, he also called for the release of the Panchen Lama and Tenzin Delek Rinpoche.

Runggye Adak was later sentenced to eight years for "provocation to subvert state power.” According to the International Campaign for Tibet, Adak's nephew, Adak Lupoe, a senior monk from Lithang monastery, received a sentence of ten years, and Tibetan art teacher and musician Kunkhyen one of nine years, both for attempting to provide pictures and information to 'overseas organizations' which were judged to 'endanger national security'. A fourth Tibetan, Jarib Lothog, was sentenced to three years linked to the same case.

An eyewitness described the protest to the International Campaign for Tibet:
"It all happened so fast - Runggye Adak just came onstage and started speaking. Although his voice did not carry very far, because it could have been that they switched the microphone off, I could see Tibetans nodding their heads about what he was saying about the Dalai Lama and freedom. Quite a few people were cheering him. Then a few men came up onto the stage, and it seemed to me that they could have been Tibetans trying to help him, trying to get him offstage so he wouldn’t be in more trouble. But then uniformed officers arrived and I could see them moving through the crowd quickly towards the stage. Many Tibetans tried to block their way to prevent him reaching Runggye Adak, but they had no chance. Quite a lot of people followed him when they took him away, and other people around me were saying how scared they were about his fate."

To demand the unconditional release of Jigme Guri, Sangye Lhamo, Rangjung and Runggye Adak, please write to: