China accused of torturing Tibetan monk as dam protests face brutal suppression

Dharamshala [India], October 19 (ANI) The London-based human rights group Tibet Watch has raised alarm over the worsening condition of Gonpo Tsering, the abbot of Yena Monastery in Shiba village, who is reportedly fighting for his life at a hospital in Chengdu, Sichuan province. The 45-year-old religious leader was subjected to severe torture while in Chinese custody after participating in peaceful demonstrations against a controversial hydropower project in eastern Tibet, as reported by Phayul.
According to Phayul, Gonpo Tsering, detained in February 2024, was among hundreds of monks and villagers from Yena and Wonto monasteries who peacefully opposed the Kamtok Hydroelectric Dam in Dege, part of the Kham region. Sources claim the monk was brutally beaten during interrogation, leaving him unable to speak or eat, and suffering from serious respiratory issues, brain injuries, and loss of vision. The protests had erupted after authorities began relocating local communities to make way for the dam's construction. Witnesses stated that protesters had knelt in front of Chinese officials, pleading for the protection of their homes and monasteries, but were met instead with violent crackdowns, mass arrests, and forced detentions. Before losing his ability to speak, Gonpo reportedly told fellow monks, "Do not worry about me. I have done nothing against the truth or the principles of a monk."
Another cleric, Abbot Jamyang Lekshay, was also detained for his role in the peaceful protests after a video showing him kneeling and pleading for mercy went viral. He has since been sentenced to four years in Yagnga Prison, a move rights groups say exemplifies China's growing intolerance toward any expression of dissent. Following the arrests, Chinese authorities placed Yena Monastery under "focused rectification and re-education," a term widely viewed as a euphemism for political indoctrination and religious control, as highlighted by Phayul.
The Kamtok Dam, designed to produce 1.1 million kilowatts of power, threatens to submerge six monasteries and two villages, erasing centuries of Tibetan heritage. In July 2024, a group of UN human rights experts urged China to halt the project, warning of irreversible cultural and ecological damage. Yet, China has, as usual, ignored international appeals, as reported by Phayul. (ANI)