• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to footer
  • FR
  • Offices
    • Amsterdam
    • Berlin
    • Washington DC

International Campaign for Tibet - Brussels Office

  • About us
    • About International Campaign for Tibet
    • The Brussels Office
    • Contact us
  • About Tibet
    • Overview
    • Religious freedom
    • Environment
    • Suppression of dissent
    • Access to Tibet
  • The EU and Tibet
    • EU-China Relations
    • European Parliament
      • Resolutions
      • Intergroup
    • EU Council / EU Presidency
    • European External Action Service
    • Recommendations
  • News & Resources
  • Our Work
    • At the United Nations
    • Publications

Tibetan monk dies after beating in custody: pattern of torture and mistreatment in Tibet must end

January 22, 2021 ・ International Campaign for TibetNews

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) calls for an independent investigation into the death of the young Tibetan monk Tenzin Nyima who died after being beaten in custody, as reported by Human Rights Watch (HRW).

Tenzin Nyima

The 19-year old monk passed away immediately after being released from prison, HRW said on January 21, 2021. Authorities initially detained him on November 9, 2019, two days after he and three other monks from a local monastery in Wonpo, Kardze (Ch: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, briefly distributed leaflets and shouted slogans calling for Tibetan independence outside the local Wonpo government office. The protests occurred as local officials increasingly put pressure on forcibly resettled nomads and local residents to publicly praise the government’s “Poverty Alleviation” program.

The death of Tenzin Nyima (also known as Tamey) is part of a pattern of torture and mistreatment in Tibet. In May 2020, the Tibetan monk Choekyi died after torture in custody. In August 2020, the 36-year old mother of three Lhamo died in custody after apparent beatings. In 2015, ICT documented the cases of 29 Tibetans who suffered torture and mistreatment while in custody, many of whom died as a result of their ordeals. As in the case of Tenzin Nyima, the authorities had chosen to release severely tortured detainees who then passed away days or weeks later. In 2015, the Committee Against Torture concluded in its review of China that “the practice of torture and ill-treatment is still deeply entrenched in the criminal justice system.”

The International Campaign for Tibet urgently calls for the establishment of an independent United Nations monitor on the human rights situation in the PRC, in particular in Tibet, as called for in an unprecedented statement of UN human rights experts in June 2020.

ICT Interim President Bhuchung Tsering said: “Those responsible in the Chinese state and party apparatus must be held accountable for the pattern of torture and mistreatment of Tibetans. Tibetans need justice and torture must stop in Tibet. The international community has an obligation to act.”

Filed under: Repression

Footer

The Tibet Brief

A newsletter providing concise information and perspectives on the political, economic and human rights situation in Tibet

About us

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is an international NGO working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans, ensure their human rights and protect the Tibetan culture and environment.

Read more

  • FR
  • Offices
    • Amsterdam
    • Berlin
    • Washington DC

Copyright ©2025 · International Campaign for Tibet - All Rights Reserved

By continuing to browse this site, you agree to our use of cookies.