Read RFA coverage this story in Tibetan.
A Tibetan village chief who was detained in May for championing Tibetan language preservation, died three days after his release on Dec. 15, with electrical burn and torture marks found on his body during the cremation service, suggesting he was abused in police custody, two sources said.
Gonpo Namgyal, leader of Ponkor Village in Qinghai province’s Dharlag county, or Dari in Chinese, was arrested with the abbot of Shangtoe Monastery and over 20 other Tibetans in May for engaging in activities to promote the preservation of Tibetan language and culture, said the two sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.
“The electric burn and torture marks on Gonpo Namgyal show he suffered severe abuse and repeated torture in the past seven months under Golok prefecture police,” said the first source, referring to Golog Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, where the county is situated.
The arrest and detainment of Namgyal and the others come amid heightened efforts by the Chinese government to limit the use of the Tibetan language and to expand the use of Mandarin among Tibetans.
Human rights groups and Tibetans say they fear the measures will result in the eradication of Tibetan language, culture and identity.
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Chinese authorities provided no explanation to Namgyal’s family or the local community for the marks discovered on his body at Traling Monastery’s cremation grounds.
Others still detained
The abbott, Khenpo Tenpa Dhargye, and the others Tibetans remain in detention in Golok prefecture, but their current situation and health conditions are unclear, said the sources.
“Among those who continue to be detained, Tibetans are deeply concerned about the well-being of Khenpo Dhargye, who is highly revered and served as the main spiritual guide for the local people,” said the second source.
Residents have been conducting prayers and religious rituals for Khenpo Dhargye’s release and well-being, the sources said.
Khenpo Dhargye and Namgyal were taken into custody in May after Chinese authorities summoned them for a meeting in Dharlag county with local villagers.
Their activities included holding Tibetan language classes and encouraging locals to speak pure, unadulterated Tibetan, said the sources.
The Chinese government’s efforts to promote the use of Mandarin by Tibetans and other ethnic minorities has its roots in a plan issued in December 2021 by the Ministry of Education, the National Rural Revitalization Bureau and the National Language Commission.
The plan calls for Mandarin to be spoken and understood in 85% of the country as a whole and 80% of rural areas by 2025, and has imposed a slew of measures to promote the use of Mandarin across Tibet and in various parts of China.
China has stepped up efforts to erase Tibetan language use, including the closure of private Tibetan schools, the establishment of boarding schools where children are taught primarily in Mandarin, the prohibition of informal Tibetan language classes during winter break, and the organizing of Mandarin speech competitions in monasteries and schools.
Translated by RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema for RFA Tibetan, and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.