Lhasa (AsiaNews) - In a rare gesture, the Chinese authorities have freed and a monaco Tibetan activist after 17 years in prison. He had fought for the independence of Tibet and the return of the Dalai Lama and was imprisoned for "counterrevolutionary activities "and" threats to the socialist state. " His release was confirmed by several Tibetan sources and reported by Radio Free Asia: Jigme Gyatso, 52, is back at his home in Sangchu (Gansu Province) after being released from the notorious Chushul prison, near Lhasa.
He had been sentenced in 1996 to
15 years in prison. His
main fault was having founded the Association for Tibetan free movement (or
Group for Tibetan independence and truth),a para-legal organization calling for cultural
and religious autonomy for the region.
In
2004, after eight years in prison, he was sentenced to a further 3 years in
prison for having shouted in prison "Long live the Dalai Lama". The
release of Jigme was scheduled for March 2014, but his health has worsened
demanding a quicker release. Immediately
after his arrest, he was beaten so severely that he can no longer walk properly
and was repeatedly hospitalized.
In
May 1998, Jigme Gyatso was part of the group of prisoners who had shouted
slogans for the freedom of Tibet during the visit of a delegation from the
European Union in Drapchi prison, where he was confined. Immediately
after the end of the official visit, the public security officials rushed into
the group to punish them: nine of them died as a result of beatings.