DHARAMSHALA: The pregnant wife of a Tibetan teenager who died after being shot by the Chinese security forces last week in Sershul county in eastern Tibet (incorporated into China’s Sichuan province) has killed herself, sources said.

The woman was distressed over the death of her husband, Jinpa Tharchin, 18, who succumbed to gunshot injuries after being  denied medical treatment and tortured in detention. He was grievously wounded when Chinese security forces fired into a protest by hundreds of Tibetans against the arrest of their village leader in Shukpa village in Sershul county in the Kardze Prefecture on 12 August. The village leader, Wangdak, was arrested for complaining against the mistreatment and harassment of Tibetan women by the Chinese authorities.

“The wife of Jinpa Tharchin hanged herself to death on 18 August,” sources said, adding that “she was around seven-month pregnant”.

Jinpa Tharchin was among five Tibetans who died due to gunshot wounds and torture by the Chinese authorities.

One among the five had committed suicide in prison amid claims that some of them had bullets still embedded in their bodies a week after the shooting, Radio Free Asia reported.

Dawa Lhamo, a 65-year-old relative of Wangdak, has been rendered paralysed due to brain haemorrhage caused by severe torture at a prison in Sershul county. She was taken to a hospital after her condition deteriorated on 23 August, sources said, adding that her relatives were not allowed to accompany her. 

The situation in the region remain tense as Chinese security forces continue to lay siege to Shukpa village and the injured Tibetans still being deprived of medical treatment. The whereabouts of the arrested village leader remain unknown. The internet connection is being restricted.

Expressing deep concern over the situation in the region, the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has condemned the shooting of peaceful Tibetan protesters by the Chinese security.

It urged the Chinese government to immediately release the detainees, provide medical treatment to those injured and compensation to the families who lost their relatives in the police firing.

“The Chinese authorities have talked about eradicating corruption to help the people. But more grave offence than corruption is the suppression of people’s freedom and political rights in Tibet, and it must be stopped by the Chinese government,” the Tibetan Parliament said in a statement on 20 August.

“We call for the urgent intervention of the international community, including human rights organisations, governments and parliaments, to end the ongoing Chinese government’s atrocities in Tibet. We also reiterate our appeal to press for visits by the international media and fact-finding delegations to assess the real situation in Tibet,” it said.