cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/52593801
Chinese authorities have reportedly tortured a young Tibetan Buddhist monk to death while in custody, before returning his body to his monastery under strict orders of silence, according to a report by research group Tibet Watch.
The monk, identified as Samten, 25, was reportedly under police surveillance since 2021. His remains were returned in December last year to Ditsa Geden Tashi Choeding Ling Monastery by authorities from Shongshan Tibetan Township. Officials claimed that he had fallen suddenly ill and died during an emergency transfer to a hospital, the name and location of which were not disclosed. The exact date of his detention also remains unclear.
Samten had previously been detained in 2021 after being accused by local police of sharing photographs via the messaging platform WeChat related to the election of the exile Tibetan government, officially known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).
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His detention coincided with a broader crackdown on monastic institutions in the region. That same year, authorities intensified surveillance at his monastery and expelled around 50 monks under the age of 18 from Ditsa Monastery, along with an additional 30 monks from Jhakhyung Monastery in Palung County, located in Tsoshar Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in the northeastern Amdo region.
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The report further situates these developments within what it describes as China’s most extensive assimilation campaign to date. Under policies promoted by Chinese President Xi Jinping, authorities have advanced a systematic programme of “Sinicisation,” aimed at reshaping Tibetan cultural and religious identity to align with that of the Han majority. Measures cited include restricting the use of the Tibetan language in education, confining it to a single subject in state-run boarding schools, and curbing traditional monastic education for children.
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