Then, if you protest, the Chinese will arrest you. This is what happened to Kelsang, a 42-year-old man from Dêngqên County.
-By Lopsang Gurung
China appears to have retaliated once again against a Tibetan dissident. First, his home was denied electricity and water. Now, he has been detained, as his family reported to human rights organizations earlier this month.
Kelsang, a 42-year-old Tibetan from Serdak Township, Dêngqên County, Chamdo Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, has faced prolonged harassment from Chinese authorities. For over nine years, his family has been denied basic services like electricity and water, impacting their daily lives.
Kelsang has been identified as a dissident because he participated in the 2008 protests and his grandfather’s death during the resistance against the Chinese army in the 1950s. He was never forgiven.
In 2016, Kelsang’s home was excluded from a local infrastructure project providing essential services. Kelsang’s children could not study at night as they had no electricity, so they withdrew from school. The family’s isolation increased in 2024 when they were removed from a poverty alleviation program.
Between 2016 and early 2025, Kelsang made at least five appeals to local authorities. In March 2025, his latest appeal stressed the ongoing hardships: “Even having electricity in a very ordinary home has become like a dream for me… It has been nine years.”
On March 20, 2025, Kelsang shared a video on social media about their struggles, gaining significant attention. Four days later, he was detained by police, facing charges of “disrupting social order,” which is often used for political suppression. Click here to read more.
