Lhasa (AsiaNews/agencies) - A Tibetan village chief being held in prison for his role in protests against a Chinese gold mine died in a Lhasa hospital, a Tibetan source living in exile told RFA's Tibetan Service. Lobsang Yeshi, a father of eight in his 60s, died on July 19 at Lhasa Hospital, where he had been taken after his health deteriorated in Ngulchul prison in Chamdo (In Chinese, Changdu) prefecture of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The cause of the man's death was not immediately clear. But the website of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan exile government in India, said he been tortured since his detention in May 2014 after a protest in his village.
"Due to severe beating in the prison, Lobsang Yeshi sustained grievous injuries and suffered dizziness as a result of poor health," said the CTA report.
Lobsang Yeshi, who was the head of Gewar village near where a Chinese mine was being built, and two other village men were sentenced to two years in jail for their roles in protests that rocked the village a year earlier.
Tibetan areas of China have become an important source of minerals needed for China’s economic growth, and mining operations have led to frequent standoffs with Tibetans who accuse Chinese firms of disrupting sites of spiritual significance and polluting the environment as they extract local wealth.
“None of the relatives and friends of Lobsang Yeshi was allowed to see his body. Only a monk was finally allowed in to see his body and conduct prayer," the exile source said. Lobsang Yeshi's body was cremated on July 21, with two of his brothers attending the cremation, the source said.