-by International Campaign for Tibet
After being hidden by a large police banner during her protest a little over two weeks ago, Gonpo Kyi (Chinese: Gongbao Ji), elder sister of imprisoned Tibetan former businessman Dorjee Tashi (Douji Zhaxi), returned to protest again on May 10, presumably in front of the Tibet Autonomous Region Higher People’s Court. However, this time Chinese police forcibly removed her from the protest site after first repeating the tactic they used last time of blocking the area around her from public view with barriers.
The status of Gonpo Kyi (also known as “Gontey”) is unknown after she was forcibly removed from the protest site.
The International Campaign for Tibet calls on the Chinese authorities to respect Gonpo Kyi’s right to freedom of expression. Gonpo Kyi must not be detained solely because of her peaceful protest. If detained, she must not be subjected to torture or ill-treatment. The authorities must investigate reports of ill-treatment and beatings of her during detention and hold those responsible accountable.
Hide and remove tactic
In video clips obtained by the International Campaign for Tibet, it is evident that police forcibly removed Gonpo Kyi, who was expressing her views peacefully in front of the court.
Presumably, this time Gonpo chose prostration as the form of her peaceful expression of opinion and thought, as a Tibetan Buddhist prostration mat can be seen in the clip when a group of policemen drag her. At least six policemen could be seen in the clip with two policemen’s badge numbers (151430 and 540077) on the left side of their chests clearly visible.
The police used a c-shaped police barrier on wheels to hide Gonpo Kyi on three sides and to extract her from the back, hidden from public view. During her last protest, they had used a large cloth banner to cover the area around her. Click here to read more.