Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 16 : The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Tibetan government-in-exile, has profiled Tibetan political prisoner Jamyang Lekshay, highlighting his imprisonment for opposing China's dam construction in Tibet.
In a post on X, the CTA stated that Abbot Jamyang Lekshay, the head of Yena Monastery in Derge, was arrested in February 2024 after joining hundreds of Tibetans in a peaceful demonstration against the Chinese-built Kamtok Dam.
The CTA noted that Lekshay was secretly sentenced to four years in prison on charges linked to the protest. A video from the demonstration showed him raising both thumbs in the traditional Tibetan gesture of begging, as he and fellow monks openly wept and pleaded with visiting Chinese officials on February 20.
According to the post, the Kamtok Dam project has drawn widespread concern, as it is expected to submerge centuries-old Buddhist monasteries and displace thousands of Tibetans, including monks, laypeople, children, and the elderly.
The report stated that following the protest, Chinese authorities reportedly launched a campaign of "focused rectification and re-education" targeting the monks of Yena Monastery, accusing them of being "serious informants" and forcing political indoctrination. The CTA condemned China's actions, calling for international attention to the plight of Tibetans imprisoned for peaceful resistance.
Recently in June, the Human Rights Desk of the Department of Information and International Relations, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), had released a report marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
The report, titled "Torture Deaths of Tibetan Political Prisoners", documented the harrowing experiences of countless Tibetans who died in Chinese custody or shortly after release due to systematic torture, denial of medical treatment, and inhumane prison conditions. Structured under themes such as Beaten to Death, Denial of Medical Treatment, and Erasing Evidence, the report highlighted the cruelty inflicted upon Tibetans for acts as simple as speaking their language or practising their religion.
Through these profiles, the CTA honoured victims while urging the global community to hold China accountable under international human rights law.
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