Tenzin Delek Rinpoche
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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...
) is a Tibetan Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
leader from Garze
Garzê
Garzê may refer to:*Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan, China*Garzê Town, the main town in the prefecture*Garzê County, in Sichuan, China...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
. He was arrested on April 7, 2002 during a raid on Jamyang Choekhorling in Garze
Garzê
Garzê may refer to:*Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan, China*Garzê Town, the main town in the prefecture*Garzê County, in Sichuan, China...
, Sichuan
Sichuan
' , known formerly in the West by its postal map spellings of Szechwan or Szechuan is a province in Southwest China with its capital in Chengdu...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. He was accused of being involved in a bomb attack on April 3, 2002 on the central square of Sichuan's provincial capital, Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
.
He was convicted for alleged involvement in a series of unsolved bombings in his region by the Chinese authorities
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
and sentenced to death in December 2002 along with Lobsang Dhondup, a 28-year old assistant of his. Lobsang was executed almost immediately in late January 2003, marking the first execution of a Tibetan for political crimes in 20 years. Tenzin Delek's trial began on November 29th 2002 before the Local Court in Garze and was sentenced to death with a two-year execution adjournment. Overseas human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
groups and United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
human rights experts protested that the case against him was seriously flawed, that he did not receive a fair trial, and was mistreated in detention.
His sentence was commuted to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
on 26 January 2005. Many overseas advocates of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche continue to fight for a retrial.
Tenzin Delek is also widely known for working to develop social, medical, educational and religious institutions for Tibetan nomads in eastern Tibet, as an advocate for environmental conservation in the face of indiscriminate logging and mining projects, and as a mediator between Tibetans and Chinese.
In November 2009, 40,000 Tibetans in Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's home area signed a petition asking for a re-trial. They staged a hunger strike at the county seat of Lithang for a few days, which lead to the temporary arrest of about 70 Tibetans.