Tibetan activist Tashi Wangchuk has been released after five years in prison for “inciting separatism.”
Tashi was targeted after campaigning for the Tibetan languge to be taught in Tibet’s schools.
BACKGROUND
Tashi wants Tibetan children to learn their native tongue in Chinese schools, as well as the Mandarin that they currently learn.
In January 2016, Tashi was taken into custody and then ‘formally’ arrested two months later on suspicion of “inciting separatism”.
Tashi’s trial took place in January 2018, after enduring almost two years of pre-trial detention and with no access to his family.
The trial was a sham – according to his lawyer, the main evidence presented against Tashi was a short film produced by the New York Times in 2015, which documented his campaign for Tibetan language education in schools.
He was sentenced to 5 years in prison in May 2018.
China has a history of using heavy surveillance and intimidation against human rights defenders after they are released from prison. The Chinese authorities must immediately lift all restrictions on Tashi .
