Dharamshala: Unnamed for fear of persecution, a source from inside Tibet said that there is no religious freedom in Tibet and provided the following account of arrests on 9 June that attests to that fact. The situation in Tibet is tense at the beginning of the Tibetan religious festival, thousands of Chinese armed military personnel were deployed to every corner of Lhasa and Jokhang temple was closed on 7 June.On 7 June 300 Tibetans held a movement in which they shouted “may God be victorious,” made offerings to the gods, and donned Tibetan dress. Two days later seven Tibetans were captured by security cameras and arrested by Chinese authorities upon returning home.
Among the seven only two were identified, Sotruk from Tsagang County, and Sotop from Dege Jodha County. The remaining five remain un-named. All seven are being charged with leading the organization and are being interrogated.
The seven detainees are being accused of provoking individuals to acts of faith such as making offerings to the gods and wearing traditional dress.
Chinese authorities have released a warrant for the remaining suspects warning them that their actions are a danger to the security of the Chinese nation. It is believed that the suspects escaped from Lhasa after learning about the warrant for their arrests.
The source said, “Re-education campaigns are taking place in monasteries in Jodha County, and now this arrest of individuals performing religious rights in Lhasa shows clearly that religious freedom does not exist in Tibet. Monks are tortured if they don’t denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and respected members of the community Tibetan business men and merchants are being arrested for making offerings prayers to Buddhas.”
The source continued “The unbiased members of the world community should spread the news across the world, that is my request.”
