Tibetan Monk Serving 3-Year Prison Term for Leading Prayers During COVID Lockdown

In a deeply concerning turn of events, Lobsang Tashi, a 43-year-old Tibetan Buddhist monk and former chant master of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba county, Sichuan province, China, has been sentenced to a three-year prison term for leading prayer ceremonies during the COVID-19 lockdown and refusing to hoist the Chinese flag at his monastery. The information comes from three sources who spoke to Radio Free Asia on the condition of anonymity due to safety concerns.

Tashi, who was arrested by Chinese authorities on June 10, 2021, underwent a secretive trial during his months-long detention. The charges against him included making offerings on behalf of those who died during the pandemic to the Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, and the India-based abbot of his monastery.

It remains unclear when and where the secret trial took place, but the sources disclosed that Tashi is currently serving his sentence in Menyang Prison near Chengdu city, Sichuan. Despite the harsh sentence, there is hope for his release later this year.

Chinese authorities have long deemed it illegal for Tibetans to make prayer offerings to the Dalai Lama or to possess images of the spiritual leader. The Dalai Lama, living in India since his exile around 65 years ago, advocates a “Middle Way” approach, acknowledging Tibet’s status as part of China while calling for greater cultural and religious freedoms.

Lobsang Tashi, a native of Ngaba, joined Kirti Monastery as a child and rose to the position of chant master, serving in various monastic administrative roles. His arrest follows a pattern of crackdowns on Tibetan Buddhists, with two monks from Kirti and the sister of one of them arrested in 2021 for allegedly sending money for prayer offerings to the Dalai Lama and the head of the Dharamsala-based monastery.

Sonam Gyatso, one of the arrested monks, was released in June 2023 after a two-year sentence but returned to Kirti in poor health due to reported torture and maltreatment during his imprisonment. Rachung Gendrun, the second monk, remains incarcerated, serving a 3.5-year prison term since July 2022. Gendrun had openly opposed the Chinese government’s “patriotic education” campaign, which aimed to impose the concept of the unity of China and Tibet on Buddhist monks and nuns.

The situation highlights the persistent challenges faced by Tibetans in expressing their cultural and religious identity under the strict control exerted by Chinese authorities in Tibet and Tibetan-populated regions of western China. This control includes limitations on political activities, peaceful expression, and has resulted in imprisonment, torture, and extrajudicial killings.