Senior Tibetan Buddhist Lama missing after detention in Qinghai, rights group raises enforced disappearance concerns

Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], January 28 (ANI): A senior Tibetan Buddhist figure from Qinghai province, part of the traditional Tibetan region of Amdo, has reportedly remained missing since being detained in December 2024, prompting serious concerns over enforced disappearance, according to the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), as reported by Phayul.
Lobsang Lungrik, 51, the chief lama of Ba Gon Monastery in Chumarleb (Chinese: Qumalai) County of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, was taken into custody under unclear circumstances.
His whereabouts have not been revealed since then, the rights organisation said in a statement issued on Saturday. TCHRD said Chinese authorities accused Lobsang Lungrik of helping a senior Buddhist scholar from the Tsawa area of Chamdo--who had earlier returned from India and later died--obtain a scripture-related position at Ba Gon Monastery.
He was also accused of transferring funds overseas, allegedly to India. The rights group noted that such allegations are commonly levelled against Tibetans suspected of sustaining religious or cultural connections with communities outside Tibet, Phayul reported.
On December 26, 2024, Lobsang Lungrik was removed from his role as a Standing Committee Member of the Qinghai Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and his membership qualifications were revoked. The move was reportedly made during the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th Qinghai Provincial CPPCC, where he had been serving as a Vice Chairman.
He had also held several senior positions, including Vice President of the Buddhist Association of Qinghai Province, Executive Vice President and Board Member of the Buddhist Association of Yushu Prefecture, and Vice Chairman of the Yushu Prefectural CPPCC, the Phayul report said.
TCHRD stated that Chinese authorities have not disclosed the legal basis for his detention nor confirmed his location or whether he has access to legal representation. "His incommunicado detention constitutes arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance," the group said, adding that enforced disappearance represents a serious violation of fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, liberty and personal security, protection from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, humane detention conditions, and the right to a fair trial, as cited by the Phayul report. (ANI)