A group of political prisoners around the world have been highlighted at the 10th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy with posters of the political prisoners raised at the conference venue on 20 February 2018. The posters of around 35 political prisoners depicted the number of days that each political prisoner have remained incarcerated or “disappeared”. Six Tibetan political prisoners were profiled among the 35.
Tibet’s 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was profiled as one of the longest serving political prisoners in the world being wrongfully imprisoned for 8,315 days. Gendhun Choekyi Nyima went “missing” on 14 May 1995, at the age of six, after His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized him as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. Since then, Gendhun Choekyi Nyima and his parents have not been heard of. The Chinese authorities have admitted taking him but have not divulged any information about his whereabouts.
The other five Tibetans profiled besides the 11th Panchen Lama were: Lobsang Kunchok, a Kirti Monastery monk who was given a suspended death sentence for self-immolation of Tibetans in Amdo Ngaba (1,907 days); Dolma Kyab, the husband of Kunchok Wangmo who self-immolated protesting against Chinese rule (1,804); Karma Samdrup, the Tibetan environmentalist sentenced to 15 years (2,970); Yeshi Choedon, a retired doctor who was given a 15-year imprisonment for sharing information about 2008 mass protests (3,643); and Bonkho Kyi (823) who was sentenced to 7 years for celebrating His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday.
From the political prisoners profiled at the venue, more than a third are imprisoned by the Chinese government, including the six Tibetans. Others have been imprisoned by states such as Cuba, Russia, Iran, Cambodia, Venezuela, etc.
– Report filed by UN, EU and Human Rights Desk –