Kunchok Tsephel Gopey Tsang was born in Machu County in Amdo in 1970, and was educated at Beijing Nationality University. Fluent in Tibetan, English and Chinese, he studied languages in Beijing and went on to study English at the North Western Nationality University in Lanzhou. He also worked as an English teacher at the Tibetan Nationality Middle School in Machu. His self-funded website, 'Chodme' or 'Butter Lamp' (www.tibetcm.com) was set up in 2005 and is a joint venture with the poet Kyabchen Dedrol to promote Tibetan literature and culture. It has been shut down on various occasions by the Chinese authorities.

Kungchok Tsephel was detained in the morning of February 26 2009, when his home was searched by the Chinese authorities. His computer, camera and mobile phone were taken and he was taken away. His friends and family were not told where he had been taken, and heard nothing of his whereabouts or wellbeing until November 12th, when they were called in to hear the verdict of the Intermediate People's Court in Kanlho, who sentenced him to fifteen years imprisonment for 'divulging state secrets'. It was not revealed what the nature of the secrets were, and the trial was conducted behind closed doors.

Friends who saw him at the sentencing reported that he appeared to be in poor health after nine months of detention and interrogation. Kungchok had also been detained in 1995 when he was accused of being involved in political activities. He was tortured during this period but was released without charge after two months. There are now serious concerns about his wellbeing, and also that of his sick daughter, who depends on his income.

One of his friends said "His family has endured nine months of agonising waiting after Kunchok disappeared in february. Now they are even more distraught by this long sentences... They do not even know why Kunchok has been sentenced to fifteen years, and he has been denied access to a lawyer."

Kunchok's case is another example of the way in which the Chinese regime seeks to cement a climate of fear in Tibet where ordinary Tibetans are afraid of expressing their views, or in Kunchok's case, even their culture. An increasing number of people in China and Tibet are using the internet to gain and share information and celebrate their culture. The Chinese authorities are keen to suppress anything which underlines the distinct Tibetan identity as they regard it as a threat to Chinese authority over the region, and is increasingly singling out internet bloggers and those who use websites and send emails about Tibet. Despite tight controls and harsh sentences, brave Tibetans continue to defy this control by practicing their right to freedom of expression.

Read more about web censorship in Tibet