Lobsang Jamyang
A prominent Tibetan writer and Kirti monk has been sentenced to seven and a half years by a court in southwestern China’s Sichuan province; a Tibetan-populated area.
Lobsang Jamyang, 28, was arrested in Ngaba County, North Eastern Tibet, on unspecified charges during April 2015.As well as regular social commentaries and poetry, Jamyang is known for his passionate endorsement of freedom of expression for Tibetan writers. His work, under the pen name Lomik, includes examinations into the underlying causes of the 2008 Tibetan uprisings and the 2009 self-immolations, culminating in a 2010 book, A Surge of Yellow Mist.
“Details concerning the charges on which Jamyang was convicted and his present condition are not immediately available”, said a source for Radio Free Asia; Kanyak Tsering, a Tibetan monk based in India. Tsering went on to suggest that he was sentenced for “sharing government secrets and attempting to divide the nation.” Fellow writers suspected the original arrest was linked to various blog posts that criticised Beijing’s policies on Tibet, according to the non government organisation Free Tibet.
After the trial, Jamyang’s family was permitted to visit him briefly; the first contact since his original arrest. According to Tsering, the trial took place in a closed court from which his family and lawyer were barred. Jamyang is the son of Jodor and Jamkar, of the Jotsang household in the Me’uruma township. He joined Kirti monastery at a young age and studied at the school of Buddhism for Youth before the Chinese authorities forcibly closed the school.
Kirti monastery has long been a focal point for Tibetan protests. Twenty four of the 145 self-immolators since 2009 have been either current or former Kirti monks. A further 45 of those one 145 are from Sichuan province in which Ngaba is located. The region is strictly policed by Chinese authorities.
In a show of support, the Committee to Protect Journalists in America sent an open letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday May 10. The letter demands a thorough investigation into reports that authorities tortured Lomig and requests clarification on the reasons for his imprisonment.
Jamyang’s arrest and sentencing is the latest incident in an apparent crackdown on Tibetan writers. In February 2016, Tibetan writer Hogan was sentenced to three years in prison, and fellow writer Sonant Tempe was arrested for the third time since 2009. His whereabouts remain unknown.
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