TIBET
TORTURE and ABUSE at
DRAPCHI PRISON
Take Action
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 5 : No one shall
be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment.
Human Rights in Tibet:
* Amnesty International is gravely concerned that political and religious freedom are severely restricted throughout Tibet. Political dissent is brutally stifled and harsh religious repression has continued to intensify.
* Hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns are imprisoned across the region, facing terrible conditions while being detained. Long work hours, poor sanitation, and inadequate food often lead to severe injuries and health problems. Additionally, few prisoners escape torture and abuse, especially during the early stages of custody.
Drapchi Prison, Tibet:
* Drapchi Prison, (Tibet Autonomous Region Prison No. 1) serves as the detention center for most of Tibet's political prisoners. In total, there are believed to be approximately 121 political prisoners detained at Drapchi. Because the Tibetan struggle for self-determination and religious freedom is non-violent, many political prisoners in Tibet are considered to be prisoners of conscience by Amnesty International.
* Prisoners at Drapchi are detained for a variety of peaceful activities advocating for Tibetan independence and spiritual allegiance to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Activities include peaceful demonstration, producing leaflets or posters, or translating literature. Classified as crimes which "threaten national or state security," these "crimes" do represent genuine threats to nationals unity or social stability.
* A prisoner bound for Drapchi is first taken into custody for interrogation. At this initial stage, prisoners are often held "incommunicado," meaning they cannot receive visitors, are denied access to lawyers, and their families are not informed of their detention. During this period, prisoners are highly vulnerable to and seldom escape torture and abuse. Torture is used to obtain confessions and often used to force prisoners into renouncing their political and spiritual beliefs.
* Trials are often arbitrary, falling far short of meeting international standards. Because of the political climate, detainees often find it very difficult to find lawyers willing to take on their cases or witnesses willing to speak out. Sentencing for prisoners at Drapchi is among the harshest in China.
* To keep them from influencing "common criminals," political prisoners at Drapchi are separated and housed in either Rukhag 3 (female prisoners) or Rukhag 5 (male prisoners).
Torture and Abuse at Drapchi Prison:
* Throughout their detention, prisoners face a harsh regime of military-style exercises and long work hours. Prison rules are enforced through acts of violence and beatings including being kicked in the kidneys and liver, being hit in the face and around the ears, and the use of electric shock batons on sensitive areas.
* Many prisoners report that prison guards use virtually any implement to beat prisoners, including gun-butts, bicycle pumps, iron rods and belt buckles. Other prisoners have been suspended from the ceiling with their hands tied behind their backs or hung by their ankles until they lose consciousness.
* Tibetan nuns have been subjected to some of the harshest treatment including acts of rape with electric batons and other acts calculated to humiliate them, such as being stripped naked in front of other prisoners and guards.
* This brutal treatment and blatant disregard for the prisoner's fundamental human rights has resulted in at least 41 deaths in custody since 1987. This number would surely be higher, but prison officials are known to release prisoners they think are going to die in order to avoid having them die in prison.
* In addition to facing such abuse, prisoners at Drapchi are subjected daily to some of the worst living conditions. Prisoners report crowding 12 people into one unsanitary cell. Prisoners are allocated one set of clothing per year and are given meager portions of poor quality food.
Take Action Today:
* Prison guards and officials must be held accountable for their actions and for the abuse committed at Drapchi. Let your voice be heard, write a letter today calling for accountability and expressing your concern about the use of torture at Drapchi Prison: Jianyu Zhang, Prison Governor/ Xizang Zizhiqu Di Yi Jianyu/ Lasashi 850003/ Tibet Autonomous Region/ People's Republic of China. Send copies to: Ambassador, People's Republic of China, Embassy of People?s Republic of China, 2300 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008.
* Download the Rn'R Petition. Collect signatures and mail to authorities listed on the petition.
* For more information visit www.amnestyusa.org/countries/china.