According to information from inside Tibet, the Chinese government illegally detained more than 20 Tibetans this past May in Hongke'er Township, Dari County, Golog Prefecture, in the Amdo region of Tibet, and during detention tortured a Tibetan village chief named Gonpo Namgyal to death.
This past May, because a Tibetan-language promotion organization led by Khenpo Tenpa Dargye had been widely carrying out a "Pure Mother Tongue" campaign in the Golog area, local police promptly arrested more than 20 Tibetans, among them Khenpo Tenpa Dargye and village chief Gonpo Namgyal, who were forcibly taken to the Golog prefectural seat for interrogation.
During more than seven months in detention, village chief Gonpo Namgyal was subjected to brutal torture and inhumane abuse, leaving his physical condition severely deteriorated. He was then released early by the authorities, but tragically died three days after his release, on December 18. According to sources, when his family and friends were preparing to cremate his remains at the crematorium of Tralang Monastery in Dari County, they found his body covered in wounds, with many internal organs showing burns, apparently the result of electric shock torture.
It is understood that Khenpo Tenpa Dargye is a highly respected Buddhist teacher, held in great affection and close regard by the revered and highly influential Nyingma-school Tibetan Buddhist master Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok. For many years, Khenpo Tenpa Dargye has led a Tibetan-language association and carried out numerous campaigns to prevent the region's mother tongue from disappearing, with significant impact.
Khenpo Tenpa Dargye, the other detainee, is a respected teacher in Golog Prefecture and one of the close dharma companions of Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, founder of the Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy. For years, Khenpo Tenpa Dargye has led a local organization dedicated to protecting the Tibetan language and has carried out numerous campaigns to prevent the mother tongue from disappearing, with major impact in the area. He has also frequently traveled to Tibet's nomadic regions to carry out activities protecting the Tibetan language and animals. Because his views did not align with those of the Chinese government, the authorities lured him to Dari County this past May under the pretext of attending a meeting, then forcibly arrested him and took him to the Golog prefectural seat for interrogation.
It is reported that devout believers inside Tibet are deeply concerned about Khenpo Tenpa Dargye's physical condition, and large numbers of people have continually held Buddhist ceremonies praying for his speedy recovery and release.
Under the CCP government's so-called framework or policy of "unified Chinese national consciousness," Tibetans inside Tibet, undeterred by threats of persecution and imprisonment from the authorities, continue striving to preserve the Tibetan people's language and identity. The arrest of Khenpo Tenpa Dargye and the torture-death of village chief Gonpo Namgyal are both part of this evil scheme, whose purpose is to persecute influential Tibetans under the unjust charges of "endangering national security or splitting the state," in order to completely stamp out Tibetan resistance to CCP rule.