Human rights watch urges China to release Tibetan students
Friday, 21 September 2007, 12:30 p.m.
Beijing: According a latest report by Reuters, seven teenage Tibetan boys have been detained in Amdo, Tibet, after graffiti calling for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return was found scribbled on walls, a human rights watchdog said on Thursday.
Human Rights Watch called for the immediate release of the boys, aged between 14 and 15, who were detained in Amdo, Tibet around 7 September, a day after graffiti appeared on the walls of the village police station and school.
One detainee, aged 14, is reported to have been badly beaten during or after the arrest and is said to have been bleeding badly when seen by relatives, Human Rights Watch said in an e-mailed statement. His identity was not known.
The boys were moved to Sangchu in Amdo, Tibet on 10 September, and their current whereabouts were unknown, the group said. All seven come from nomad families and were studying at a secondary school in Amchok Bora village.
A county government official, reached by telephone, denied knowledge of the detentions.
Human Rights Watch said police had refused to allow relatives to move the injured boy to a hospital unless they returned him within two days and paid 5,000 yuan ($600) in advance, which the family was unable to do.
Dozens of students were initially detained on the same day, but all except the seven teenagers were released within two days. School staffs were also questioned.
Earlier this month, Runggye Adak, 53, was charged with subversion after he addressed a crowd gathered for a Tibetan horse-racing event in Lithang, Tibet in support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s return to Tibet.
His speech prompted clashes between authorities and villagers calling for his release. The International Campaign for Tibet said three of his nephews had been detained after calling for his release. It posted photos taken by a tourist showing riot police in the area dispersing crowds.
–Inputs from Voice of America