China: 2 Relatives of a Tibetan Monk Who Died in Prison Have Been Arrested
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Version 0 of 1. The authorities in southwest China have reportedly detained two relatives of a prominent Tibetan monk whose unexplained death in prison set off protests that left dozens injured after it was announced on Monday. According to Students for a Free Tibet, an overseas advocacy group, the police on Friday detained the sister and niece of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, a widely revered monk and community leader who was serving a life sentence on terrorism and separatism charges. Human rights advocates contend that the allegations against him were politically motivated. He died in a prison near Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, under circumstances that the authorities have yet to explain. On Thursday, prison officials, brushing aside the pleas of family members and supporters, cremated his body rather than allow them to carry out traditional Buddhist funeral rites. Witnesses say the relatives, Dolkar Lhamo, 52, and her daughter, Nyima Lhamo, 25, were detained in Chengdu on Friday, according to Padma Dolma, campaigns director for Students for a Free Tibet. Dolkar Lhamo and another sister were among nearly 100 Tibetans who staged a sit-in outside the building in Chengdu where Tenzin Delek was thought to have been imprisoned for the 13 years before he died. |