China accused of silencing Tibetan voices as activist handed 18-year secret sentence

According to the CTA, Lodoe Gyatso, also known as Sogkhar Lodoe Gyatso, hails from Sog County in Nagchu, within the traditional Tibetan province of Kham.

Now in his mid-50s, he is described as having endured decades of systematic persecution by Chinese authorities for exercising his right to peaceful expression.

Gyatso was arrested on January 28, 2018, only months after completing a prior two-year imprisonment.

His detention followed a solitary, non-violent protest in Lhasa, where he reportedly marched around the Potala Palace dressed in traditional Tibetan attire, calling for peace in Tibet and globally.

The charges against him have been labelled as involving "state secrets," a classification frequently criticised by rights groups for enabling closed-door trials and denying due process.

The proceedings leading to his current 18-year sentence were conducted entirely outside public scrutiny, with no independent legal oversight and without informing his family, as highlighted by the CTA.

A Tibetan Buddhist monk, Palden Yeshi, who vanished in May 2021 after being taken into custody by Chinese authorities, has resurfaced years later as a convicted prisoner serving a six-year sentence in Lhasa's Chushul Prison, raising fresh concerns over China's treatment of Tibetan cultural figures, as reported by the Central Tibetan Administration.

In a post shared on X, the CTA stated that Yeshi was reportedly detained on May 17, 2021, and remained missing for nearly five years, with no official information provided about his condition or whereabouts during that period.

Even now, Chinese authorities have not publicly disclosed the exact charges against him.

However, sources suggest he may have been targeted for organising voluntary Tibetan language classes for more than 300 local children, an initiative authorities could have construed as a threat to state security under broadly defined laws against "separatism." (ANI)