Profiles of Courage: DAY 41 – January 29th

Ngawang Sangdrol
Age: 32
Sentenced to 23-years in prison for protesting in Tibet; one of the 'Drapchi 14' nuns

"I knew I would be imprisoned... I knew the demonstration was for the right cause. I knew I was doing it for the truth."  - Ngawang Sangdrol

Ngawang Sangdrol was born in Lhasa in 1977. As a young girl, she joined Garu Nunnery, just north of Lhasa. Her father Namgyal Tashi was arrested during the 1959 March 10th Uprising. He was later arrested again for protesting and sentenced 8 years in prison.

From a young age, Ngawang Sandrol defiantly resisted China's occupation of her homeland. At the age of 10, she was first arrested and detained for 15 days for an independence protest. In 1990, she was arrested again for joining a demonstration, and consequently subjected to imprisonment, beatings and torture for 9 months.

In 1992, Ngawang Sandrol was again arrested for protesting and sentenced to 3 years in Drapchi Prison. While in prison, she and 13 other nuns recorded songs and poems about their suffering, beatings, faith and their unfaltering commitment to Tibetan independence. Despite the risks, the nuns included their names in the recordings, dedicating their songs and poems to family members and friends. For this incredibly brave action, Ngawang's sentence was extended by 6 years.

During her time at Drapchi, she was subjected to inconceivable physical and mental torture. During a patriotic re-education campaign, Ngawang Sangdrol and another nun practiced non-cooperation, refusing to make their beds or clean their cells. As punishment, they were badly beaten and forced to stand in the rain for hours, during which time Ngawang Sandrol shouted "Free Tibet". Her sentence was extended by an additional 8 years.

In 1998 when she refused to take part in a flag raising ceremony at Drapchi prison, her sentence was again extended, this time by 6 years. Her cumulative sentence was 23 years, the longest sentence given to a Tibetan female prisoner.

As a result of international pressure, Ngawang Sangdrol was released in October 2002 on medical parole, after serving 11 years of her sentence. In 2003, she was allowed to travel to the U.S. for medical treatment. Read more.

Read a message from Ngawang Sangdrol to SFT upon her release.

Ngawang Sangdrol continues to campaign for Tibetan freedom. She is currently living in New York where she studies English. She has testified before many governmental and international bodies about the routine torture she witnessed in Drapchi prison. Read her testimony to the U.S. Congressional Executive Commission on China.

Ngawang Sangdrol singing one of the songs she and the other 'Drapchi 14' nuns recorded in prison:

Last year, Ngawang Sangdrol traveled to London during China's Olympic torch relay, where she was reunited with some of the fellow 'Drapchi 14' nuns who are now living in exile. She spoke during the Torch relay rally: 

Profiles of Courage: DAY 42 – January 28th

Pema Tsepak  (1985-2009)
Beaten to death by Chinese police for peacefully protesting

On Day 42 in the Countdown we commemorate the life of 24 year-old Pema Tsepak, who was beaten to death last week by Chinese police officers for peacefully protested in Dzogang Country, Chamdo prefecture, Kham.

On January 20, Pema Tsepak, and brothers Thinley Ngodrub (age 24) and Buyang Dargye (age 23) shouted slogans calling on Tibetans not to celebrate Losar (Tibetan New Year) and demanding Tibetan independence and the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet. All three held had Tibetan flags. The protest lasted for about 40 minutes before dozens of Chinese police officers arrested the youth. Read more.

Three days later, after being brutally beaten and tortured while in detention, Pema Tsapak was taken to a hospital in Chamdo in critical condition, where he died shortly thereafter. Four others were also arrested in association with the protest, but three appear to have been release. Thinley Ngodrub, Buyang Dargye and 34-year old Norbu Tashi remain in custody and are also reportedly in critical condition.

Please send a letter to Chinese officials condemning the killing of Pema Tsepak and calling for the immediate release of the the three others.

In observance of the traditional one-year mourning period, Tibetans inside Tibet are refraining from public festivities this Losar to mourn the deaths of the over two hundred Tibetans killed by Chinese forces in the aftermath of last spring's Uprising. In an unprecedented gesture of solidarity, Tibetans around the world are also canceling Losar celebrations. February 25 will mark the first day of Losar.

With just over 40 days until March 10th, tensions are mounting in Tibet and Chinese authorities continue to intensify their crackdown, adopting severe measures to prevent further protests.

The courage of Pema Tsepak and the other young men who bravely stood up for their beliefs is unmeasurable. Tibetans are suffering some of the darkest days in the history of China's brutal occupation and yets Tibetans are still risking everything to speak out for freedom. As we honor this spirit of resistance, we pledge to redouble our efforts to focus international attention inside Tibet in the lead up to March 10th.

For first hand information about the situation in Tibet from Tibetan bloggers, please visit this amazing blog: www.highpeakspureearth.com.

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Profiles of Courage: DAY 43 – January 27th

Andruk Gonpo Tashi  (1905 - 1964)
Founder and Commander General of the Tibetan Resistance Forces

Andruk Gonpo Tashi, an influential trader from the Lithang region of Kham, was living in Lhasa when Chinese troops entered Tibet. Kham and Amdo, Tibet's eastern provinces were the first to be invaded in 1949 and thus the people of these regions felt the wrath of Chinese forces early on. As Chinese troops continued to tighten their grip over eastern Tibet, Gonpo Tashi sent circulars to the monastic establishments and potential warriors in various parts of Tibet to assemble at Trigu Thang. While he believed it was generally against the principles of Buddhism to use violence, he saw armed resistance as the only way to attempt to protect his faith, his people and his country.

On June 16, 1958 as volunteers, soldiers, warriors and the others from all corners of Tibet gathered to attend the assembly at Trigu Thang, Gonpo Tashi articulated the need for an organized armed resistance to safeguard the security of the country and the people from the advancing invaders. In a historic and visionary speech, he emphasized the tremendous responsibilities the warriors would shoulder, and stressed the importance of discipline and courage. Applying his extensive knowledge of the Tibetan landscape acquired from his years of travel, Gonpo Tashi organized Tibetans from across Tibet (mostly from Kham, and the rest from Utsang and Amdo) into a formidable guerrilla force to fight the Chinese troops. Thus, Chushi Gangdrug (Four Rivers, Six Ranges) came into existence.

In the end, thousands of courageous Tibetan volunteers fought with Chushi Gangdrug and laid down their lives for their nation but among them all, Andruk Gonpo Tashi name stands out as an example of bravery, vision and strategic leadership skills.  As Commander General of Chushi Gangdrug, Gonpo Tashi led several successful attacks on PLA regiments. He was also instrumental in providing security and safe passage for the Dalai Lama’s escape to India in March 1959.

On September 27, 1964 in Darjeeling, Gonpo Tashi succumbed to the numerous bullet and shrapnel wounds he had sustained while fighting Chinese troops. His funeral was attended by thousands of Tibetans and is remembered as one of the most moving events in modern Tibetan history.

Profiles of Courage: DAY 44 – January 26th

Lobsang Dhondup (1975-2003)
Trader; Executed by Chinese authorities in 2003

On Day 44 in the countdown, we commemorate the life of Lobsang Dhondup who at the age of 28 was executed. His premature death strikes at the heart of the injustice of China's occupation of Tibet.

Lobsang Dhondup grew up in Nyagchu, Lithang County. His family were farmers and in his mid-twenties, he started a small business trading medicine and other items. In April 2002, Lobsang Dhondup was arrested for his alleged involvement in a bomb blast incident in the main square of Chengdu in China's Sichuan Province. He had no previous history of political activism.

Lobsang Dhondup was a distant relative of the revered buddhist teacher Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and spent a year studying in his monastery. Chinese authorities had for many years tried to silence Tenzin Delek, an outspoken community and environmental activist who struggled to develop social, medical, educational and religious institutions in Lithang county in eastern Tibet. Although he had been arrested several times, he was subsequently released, following widespread community pressure.

It is believed that Lobsang Dhondup was targeted by Chinese authorities in order to extract a confession from him linking Tenzin Delek to the same bombing charges. After his arrest, Lobsang Dhondup was brutally tortured and Chinese authorities claimed he confessed to Tenzin Delek's involvement.

According to information gained by Human Rights Watch, during their trial in December 2002, both Lobsang Dhondup and Tenzin Delek declared their innocence.

"According to reports from two spectators, Lobsang Dondrup shouted out his innocence during his sentencing hearing and denied that he had ever said anything about Tenzin Delek or others being involved in a bombing plot. Tenzin Delek also denied the charges, reiterating his innocence in a tape smuggled from a detention center in Dartsedo,the prefectural capital, in mid-January 2003."

On, December 2, 2002 Lobsang Dhondup was sentenced to immediate death penalty. Tenzin Delek was also sentenced to death. They had been denied access to independent lawyers and did not receive a fair trial. The sentences prompted an international outcry by Tibetans and supporters. Many governments, including the European Union, United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, immediately issued demarches - the strongest form of a diplomatic protest. Chinese authorities gave assurances that both men would receive a thorough re-trial.

But after a secret trail in Sichuan Provincial Higher People's Court, Lobsang Dhondup was executed on January 26th, 2003, the first known execution of a Tibetan for political crimes in 20 years.

On the same day, Tenzin Delek's death sentence was upheld with a two year reprieve. After an intense global campaign, his sentence was commuted to life in prison on January 26, 2005.

Profiles of Courage: Day 45 – January 25th

Takna Jigme Sangpo
Age: 80 (Year of Birth: 1928)
School Teacher; Tibet's longest serving political prisoner

Takna Jigme Sangpo is an enduring symbol of Tibetan resistance. At age 32, while working as a teacher at Lhasa Primary School he was detained on charges of "corrupting the minds of children with reactionary ideas". Five years later he was detained again for making "counter revolutionary" comments.

Takna Jigme Sangpo spent most of the next 40 years in Chinese prisons and labor camps. As a staunch supporter of Tibetan freedom, he continued to resist China's occupation, even while in prison. In 1991, his sentence was extended after he shouted slogans calling for Tibetan freedom during a visit by a Swiss delegation to Drapchi prison, where he was being held.

During his imprisonment, Takna Jigme Sangpo faced the full brutality of Chinese repression, especially in light of his fierce defiance and perserverance. Facing a cumulative sentence of 41 years, he was originally set to be released in 2011 but due to international pressure he was released in March 2002 at the age of 74. Read more about his life. 

Below is an excerpt of Takna Jigme Sangpo's statement on April 3, 2003 to the United Nations Human Rights Commission:

"Ladies and gentlemen, despite the guarantees of protection in the constitution of China and her obligations to various international human rights instruments, I was imprisoned because I carried out a non-violent human struggle to defend the legitimate rights of the six million Tibetan people. During those more than three decades of a political prisoner's life, I was tortured both physically and mentally, beyond human imagination. My dignity as a human being was humiliated and crushed. My physical appearance today is a proof of the immense suffering I endured. The Chinese authorities identified me as criminal who must suffer for life and die in prison. That is how I lost the best part of my life. I never thought I will leave the prison alive. But due to my fate I somehow survived, unlike thousands of Tibetans who sacrificed their lives for our just cause." Read his full statement.