DHARAMSHALA: A Tibetan political prisoner was released last Sunday in critical condition following eight years in prison, according to the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).

Ngodup Phuntsok aka Ngoe-ga, 61, was arrested for participating in a peaceful protest against the Chinese government in 2008 in Kardze (now incorporated into China’s Sichuan Province).

He was brought home two days after his actual release date of 18 March. He was unable to walk during his release, with crippling injuries to his back, a source was quoted as saying by TCHRD. At home, Ngodup needed constant attention and support from his family members to get up from bed or move around, it added.

According to Radio Free Asia, a radio service with extensive contacts in the region, local Tibetans and family members missed the opportunity to accord him a warm reception during his release as no announcements were made about the release. However, hundreds of Tibetans from Kardze and nearby areas are now reportedly pouring in to welcome Ngoega with continuous receptions, RFA added.

Even before his participation in the peaceful protests that swept Tibet in 2008, Ngodup Phuntsok had a history of resistance to Chinese authorities. In 1990, Ngoega had distributed religious scriptures and photos of exiled spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the monks of a local monastery and to the lay community, RFA report

He was also one of the principal organisers of a long-life offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Kardze in 2001.

Chinese police discovered seventy photos of His Holiness the Dalai Lama when they raided Ngoega’s room following his arrest in 2008.