Dharamsala (AsiaNews) - A Tibetan monk died in Chinese
prisons as a result of torture by police officers. The Buddhist monk was locked
up in a county jail in Nyagrong, in Kardze prefecture, one of the autonomous
prefectures of Tibet in the Chinese province of Sichuan. Karwang, 36, was
accused of hanging posters glorifying the independence of Tibet in Kardze
County. For this reason, sources say from the Tibetan Centre for Human
Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), he was imprisoned awaiting
trial.
Local witnesses reported that in May 2012, posters glorifying
freedom appeared on the walls of a Chinese government building in the county of
Nyagrong. Some days later, authorities arrested the Buddhist religious Karwang,
who lives in the monastery of the city, because he was considered responsible
for the postings. The security forces transferred the monk to Dartsedo County,
where he remained holed up in the local jail for eight days. The authorities
tried to extort a confession by force, but Karwang always denied any wrongdoing
with disdain. Some sources confirm that he was brutally beaten and tortured.
He died in prison a few days later. His relatives received a
telephone call in which they were asked to take charge of the corpse, under the
strict supervision of the police who "accompanied" the family during
the operations. The funeral was held in the monastery of Serta, while relatives
of the monk did not receive any compensation for the death.
Despite numerous protests and repeated appeals by
organizations and foreign countries, the Chinese police continue to arrest and
seize others that express dissent. In recent months, Beijing has tightened its
grip on the Tibetan people, which experts believe is undergoing a real
colonization. The restrictions include a ban on teaching the Chinese language
and religion of Tibet, the imposition of inappropriate development policies,
all in favor of the ethnic Han Chinese, and constant and varied attacks against
the cultural and intellectual elite of Tibet.
For this reason, dozens of young Tibetans, monks and lay
people have chosen self-immolation as an extreme form of protest. Since the start
of the year, 35 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to criticize the
dictatorship in Beijing and to demand the return of the Dalai Lama in Tibet.
The Tibetan spiritual leader has always stressed that he does "not
encourage" these extreme forms of rebellion, but he praised the
"courage" of those who make the ultimate gesture, the result of the
"cultural genocide" currently taking place in Tibet. Beijing responds
by attacking the Dalai Lama, who is guilty of supporting "terrorists,
criminals or mentally ill people." (NC)
