Dolma Kyab
Encyclopedia
Dolma Kyab (pen-name Lobsang Kelsang Gyatso), born in 1976, is a writer and teacher in his native Tibet
. He is currently imprisoned at Chushur (Chinese: “Qushui”) Prison, which is located in a rural area south-west of his native home, Lhasa
, Tibet. On March 9, 2005, he was arrested in Lhasa at the middle school where he was employed as a history teacher. On September 16, 2005 he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Lhasa People’s Intermediate Court for the crime of stealing and/or passing on “state secrets.”
Dolma Kyab has received an extensive education having attended his local primary school and then his county middle school. He joined a Teachers Training Center in 1995 and taught at a school in Qilian County
(in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
). He later continued his studies at Peking University
where he received a Masters Degree in 2002. In 2003, he traveled to India
to learn English
and Hindi
. He is fluent in both his Native Tibetan
and Chinese
, as well as Japanese
. As a writer he maintained a commentary manuscript written in Chinese, entitled Sao dong de Ximalayshan (“Himalaya on Stir”). It has 57 chapters written on various topics such as: democracy, the sovereignty of Tibet, Tibet under communism, colonialism, and religion and belief. He also began writing another manuscript which focused on his increasing concern for Tibet’s environment and makes mention to sensitive topics like the geographical alterations that China has brought to Tibet as well as the location of various Chinese Military camps in the Tibet Autonomous Region
(TAR).
After his arrest on March 9, 2005, he was taken to the TAR Public Security Bureau Detention Center, also known as “Seitru” in Tibetan. He was held and tried for “endangering state security;” (Chinese Criminal Law, Articles 110, 111) and was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. An appeal was made by his family and was rejected on November 30, 2005, upholding the 10 year sentence.
While detained at Seitru he contracted tuberculosis and his subsequent transfer to Chushul Prison was barred until he received medical attention. In March 2006 he was reportedly transferred to Chushul Prison after receiving some medical treatment.
There is no official information about the charges against Dolma Kyab, but in a letter that was reportedly smuggled out of prison Dolma Kyab states that his sentence is linked to his unpublished book. In the letter, he appeals for help from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
.
Dolma Kyab’s current conditions are unknown. A group of well-known Tibetian and Chinese writers have been petitioning for his release. Also, the International Campaign for Tibet
(ICT), the PEN
American Center and the Tibetan PEN have been following his case.
s
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
. He is currently imprisoned at Chushur (Chinese: “Qushui”) Prison, which is located in a rural area south-west of his native home, Lhasa
Lhasa
Lhasa is the administrative capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China and the second most populous city on the Tibetan Plateau, after Xining. At an altitude of , Lhasa is one of the highest cities in the world...
, Tibet. On March 9, 2005, he was arrested in Lhasa at the middle school where he was employed as a history teacher. On September 16, 2005 he was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Lhasa People’s Intermediate Court for the crime of stealing and/or passing on “state secrets.”
Dolma Kyab has received an extensive education having attended his local primary school and then his county middle school. He joined a Teachers Training Center in 1995 and taught at a school in Qilian County
Qilian County
Qilian County is a county of Qinghai Province, China. It is part of Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. It is located in the Qilian Mountains, on Qinghai's border with Gansu....
(in Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture of northeastern Qinghai province in Western China. The prefecture has an area of and its seat is Haiyan County...
). He later continued his studies at Peking University
Peking University
Peking University , colloquially known in Chinese as Beida , is a major research university located in Beijing, China, and a member of the C9 League. It is the first established modern national university of China. It was founded as Imperial University of Peking in 1898 as a replacement of the...
where he received a Masters Degree in 2002. In 2003, he traveled to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to learn English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
. He is fluent in both his Native Tibetan
Tibetan language
The Tibetan languages are a cluster of mutually-unintelligible Tibeto-Burman languages spoken primarily by Tibetan peoples who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering the Indian subcontinent, including the Tibetan Plateau and the northern Indian subcontinent in Baltistan, Ladakh,...
and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, as well as Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. As a writer he maintained a commentary manuscript written in Chinese, entitled Sao dong de Ximalayshan (“Himalaya on Stir”). It has 57 chapters written on various topics such as: democracy, the sovereignty of Tibet, Tibet under communism, colonialism, and religion and belief. He also began writing another manuscript which focused on his increasing concern for Tibet’s environment and makes mention to sensitive topics like the geographical alterations that China has brought to Tibet as well as the location of various Chinese Military camps in the Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet Autonomous Region
The Tibet Autonomous Region , Tibet or Xizang for short, also called the Xizang Autonomous Region is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China , created in 1965....
(TAR).
After his arrest on March 9, 2005, he was taken to the TAR Public Security Bureau Detention Center, also known as “Seitru” in Tibetan. He was held and tried for “endangering state security;” (Chinese Criminal Law, Articles 110, 111) and was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. An appeal was made by his family and was rejected on November 30, 2005, upholding the 10 year sentence.
While detained at Seitru he contracted tuberculosis and his subsequent transfer to Chushul Prison was barred until he received medical attention. In March 2006 he was reportedly transferred to Chushul Prison after receiving some medical treatment.
There is no official information about the charges against Dolma Kyab, but in a letter that was reportedly smuggled out of prison Dolma Kyab states that his sentence is linked to his unpublished book. In the letter, he appeals for help from the United Nations Commission on Human Rights
United Nations Commission on Human Rights
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006...
.
Dolma Kyab’s current conditions are unknown. A group of well-known Tibetian and Chinese writers have been petitioning for his release. Also, the International Campaign for Tibet
International Campaign for Tibet
The International Campaign for Tibet is a private non-profit advocacy group working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans, ensure their human rights, and protect the Tibetan culture and environment. Founded in 1988, ICT is the world's largest Tibet-related NGO, with a total membership of...
(ICT), the PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
American Center and the Tibetan PEN have been following his case.
See also
Political prisonerPolitical prisoner
According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, a political prisoner is ‘someone who is in prison because they have opposed or criticized the government of their own country’....
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