China Tortures Tibetan FilmmakerMonday, 20 October 2008, 12:05 p.m.
Dharamshala: A Tibetan filmmaker from Labrang Tashikyil monastery in Amdo, Tibet, has been released after undergoing months of continuous torture by Chinese interrogators for making a documentary on Chinese repression in Tibet, said a statement by the group Filming for Tibet, which produced the film.
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| Jigme Gyatso/File photo: LeavingFearBehind.com/Tibet |
Jigme Gyatso, also known as Golog Jigme, was arrested in March shortly after completion of the film ‘Leaving Fear Behind’.The film features a series of interviews with Tibetans talking about how their culture had been trampled on, their hope on the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and how they viewed the Olympics as having done little to improve their lives. “It is not clear, according to information from Tibet, if all charges against Jigme Gyatso have been dismissed. He was told by the authorities that he will stay under observance and his probation will last one year,” the filmmakers said in a statement seen on Sunday.”The interrogators beat him continuously and hanged him by his feet from the ceiling for hours and kept him tied for days on the interrogation chair. During the interrogations he fainted several times due to the beatings,” the group said.”After May 12, when the region was shaken by strong earthquakes, beatings stopped and after August 11 there was a noticeable improvement,” they said.Jigme Gyatso was arrested along with filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, whose is still in detention, and there is no news about his pending trial, the group said.Meanwhile, the Chinese government on last Friday announced new regulations giving more freedom to foreign journalists in China, but has not lifted restrictions to do reporting in Tibet.With the continued restrictions on the opening up of Tibet to independent media, there appears to be no let up in arbitrary detention and harsh prison sentences to Tibetans allegedly convicted for their role in this year’s peaceful demonstrations.The Chinese government put a violently clampdown when peaceful Tibetan protestors voiced against its wrong policies on 10 March this year, which left 218 Tibetans dead, 1290 injured and 6705 arrested or detained.The Central Tibetan Administration has appealed to the United Nations and the International community to call upon the Chinese government to bring an immediate end to arrests, detention and killing of innocent Tibetans. It also called for the immediate release of all those who have been arrested and imprisoned.
