A Tibetan in Tibet has been arrested and imprisoned in Sichuan province for his mere involvement in the Chinese made social media, Wechat group during the celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 80th birthday last year. He is the second Tibetan to be arrested over the involvement in the social media group.
Argya Gya has been taken into custody last year on Nov. 18 according to a report in Radio Free Asia. Though he had been arrested last year, his news of arrested has been delayed due to communications blocks imposed by the Chinese authorities.
“He is currently being held in a prison in Lunggu [Wenchuan] county,” says the report in RFA where the other Tibetan monk named Lodroe is being held for his involvement in the social media group.
The Chinese ban Tibetans from celebration His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday. Since his birthday is one of the most important occasions for Tibetans, especially last year being his 80th birthday celebrations, many Tibetans inside Tibet engaged in celebrations despite the ban and it consequences. There has been countless online social media groups in celebration of the occasion both outside as well as inside Tibet.
Argya had previously served a three year sentence in connection to the self immolation of a Tibetan monk from Kriti monastery where he was monk there before.
“A total of 145 Tibetans living in China have now set themselves ablaze in self-immolations since the wave of fiery protests began in 2009, with most protests featuring calls for Tibetan freedom and the Dalai Lama’s return from India, where he has lived since escaping Tibet during a failed national uprising in 1959.” added the RFA report in the end.
The Chinese social media despite risks and distrust over its confidentiality of the user data, the Tibetans are compelled to use it both inside and outside Tibet because of its strategic role of being the only accessible medium for communication between these two geographically barred populations.
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