Tibetan Monk Writer Held Incommunicado For More Than A Year Since His Arrest

31-1-2022

Alexandros Anthis

Tibet and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

According to reports, Gendun Lhundrub, a prominent Tibetan writer and poet has been held incommunicado for more than a year since his apprehension in western China’s Qinghai province in December 2020. The only information his relatives received was through a phone call notifying them of his trial’s date which was set for September 27, 2021. Apart from that date, the authorities have not informed his family of his location, state of health, the official reason for the arrest or the progress of his trial.

Gendun Lhundrub, aged around 46, was a monk at Rongwo monastery in Rebgong (in Chinese, Tongren) county in the Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Before his arrest, he was reportedly monitored by authorities for a long time for any indication of potential political dissent.

A source claims that the writer was detained on December 2, 2020, whilst going to a religious debate in Rebgong, adding, that the incident was witnessed only by a vegetable vendor who saw him being forced into a black car by Chinese officials.  There have not been any other accounts concerning the event of his arrest. Further, the source suggested that Lhundrub is being subjected to political re-education during detention.

Lhundrub was also the alleged moderator of a website about the Tibetan language. According to observers, the site was shut down along other similar portals. These observers located screenshots of the blocked webpage on the Weibo profile of the language advocate Tashi Wangchuk’s.

Commentators suggest that Tibetan scholars and writers promoting Tibetan cultural identity have been targeted by the government. They add that the aim is to suppress the Tibetan language and education in an effort to gradually eliminate Tibetan culture.

Sources and further reading:

Central Tibetan Administration (2022, January 27). Further details emerge about Gendun Lhundup a year after his arrest. https://tibet.net/further-details-emerge-about-gendun-lhundup-a-year-after-his-arrest/ 

Choekyi, L. (2022, January 27). Tibetan writer still missing for questioning officials on ‘sinicization of Buddhism’. https://www.phayul.com/2022/01/27/46707/ 

Tibet news (2022, January 26). Qinghai monk writer missing for more than a year after Chinese ‘arrest’. https://www.tibetanreview.net/qinghai-monk-writer-missing-for-more-than-a-year-after-chinese-arrest/

Kunchok, S. (2022, January 24). Tibetan writer missing more than a year after his arrest. https://www.rfa.org/english/news/tibet/writer-01242022142838.html