Former prisoner: Ngawang Phulchung |
 | Ngawang Phulchung completes his sentence Ngawang Phulchung (pictured left), the last monk of the original 'Group of Ten' detained in 1989 for undertaking peaceful political activities, was released from Drapchi Prison in October 2007. Jamphel Jangchub was released in April 2005. The 'Group of Ten' are widely respected by Tibetan freedom groups who campaigned for many years to get their sentences cut. The reluctance of the Chinese authorities to do so highlights again how difficult it is for Tibetan people to express their desire for basic free speech in their own country, as evidenced during the week of Ngawang Phulchung's release, as troops closed down the Drepung monastery and sought to prevent celebrations of the Dalai Lama's Congressional Gold Medal award.
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Jamphel Monlam, one of the ten, said "Ngawang Phulchung is an exceptional case in the Tibetan struggle for human rights and justice. His dauntless efforts in voicing his opinion against the Chinese government's oppressive regime resulted in his repeated prison term extensions apart from the solitary confinements, beatings and torture that he sustained. This release is yet another token gesture by the Chinese government before any major international events. The fact remains that he has spent the best part of his life in prison with physical and emotional scars that will last for the rest of his life."
Case summary
Name: Ngawang Phulchung
From: Drepung Monastery
Arrested: April - July 1989
Released: October 2007
Reason: "seriously undermining national security" (they had undertaken non-violent political activities including printing copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Sentence: 19 years
Prison: Drapchi Prison
Note: Of the original 'Group of Ten', he was the last to complete his sentence. In 1996 Kelsang Thutop died following maltreatment.
Background
The 'Group of Ten', from Drepung Monastery, were detained in 1989 for undertaking political activities.
Ngawang Phulchung was released in October 2007 in a 'frail' condition, said by many to have been caused by years of imprisonment and torture during his time at Drapchi. During the time of his release, Chinese troops were again cracking down on monks at Drepung; eager to prevent Tibetans celebrating the Dalai Lama's award of the Congressional Gold Medal from the US.
Reports of Ngawang Gyaltsen's release were received in December, which confirmed that he had been released at the end of his sentence in April. Gyaltsen was originally due for release in 2006, however it is now understood that he received a sentence reduction of two years in 1994.
The 'Group of Ten' formed following events in 1987 when 21 Drepung monks were arrested for staging pro-independence demonstrations in Lhasa. After being released from prison the group banded together to continue working for Tibetan human rights and freedom.
The 'Group of Ten' were arrested and sentenced in 1989 on charges of "seriously undermining national security". The monks were caught engaging in non-violent political activities which included printing copies of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a document outlining a parliamentary democratic system for an independent Tibet. Most of the monks have now been released having completed their sentences. One monk, Kelsang Thutop, died in 1996 of an undisclosed illness though it is likely he died as a result of complications following ill-treatment and malnutrition.
Despite the years since the arrest of the 'Group of Ten', arrests and long-term imprisonment continues for Tibetans who seek to claim their right to free speech, and Drepung monastery remains an instrumental symbol which the Chinese authorities seek to control.
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