Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India] November 26 : Dorje Tashi, one of Tibet's most prominent businessmen, has reportedly suffered a violent assault inside Lhasa's Drapchi Prison, further exposing China's inhumane treatment of Tibetan political prisoners. According to his lawyer, Wang Fei, Tashi was attacked by three fellow inmates, leaving him with serious head injuries and a deep scar on his forehead. In blatant violation of Chinese prison regulations, authorities failed to inform his family about the incident, as reported by Phayul.
According to Phayul, the recent assault is not an isolated case; Tashi had earlier been beaten by eight inmates on April 17, 2021, highlighting a pattern of systemic abuse and negligence under the Chinese penal system. Once among Tibet's most successful entrepreneurs, Dorje Tashi, founder of the Yak Hotel and other flourishing ventures in Lhasa, was arrested following the 2008 Tibetan uprising. He was accused of "illegal business operations," tortured in custody, and handed a life sentence in June 2010 by the Lhasa Municipality Intermediate People's Court after a closed three-day trial. No official record of the proceedings has ever been made public.
Observers and human rights groups believe Tashi's prosecution was politically motivated, aiming to punish his financial contributions to Tibetan monasteries and charitable projects. His brother, Dorjee Tsetan, also endured a six-year prison term, while the Chinese authorities have repeatedly ignored appeals from lawyers and family members seeking justice or visitation rights.
Over the past decade, Tashi's sister, Gonpo Kyi, has emerged as a fearless voice demanding her brother's release. Despite multiple detentions, severe beatings, and intimidation, she has staged peaceful protests and hunger strikes in Lhasa. In August, she was forcibly dragged by plainclothes officers during one such protest and later confined under surveillance, where she was beaten before attempting to escape by leaping from a guesthouse window, as highlighted by Phayul.
Human rights organisations, including Tibet Watch, have denounced Dorje Tashi's life sentence as politically driven and unjust. They condemned China's judicial system in Tibet for its "lack of transparency and entrenched political interference," calling Tashi's case a stark reflection of the Chinese government's deepening oppression in the region, as reported by Phayul.
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