A Chinese government official in south eastern Tibet has asked a renowned defence lawyer to fabricate a fraud claim against one of his Tibetan clients.

The case handler of the Public Security Bureau in Tibet’s Gade County, Dorjee Tsering rang human rights lawyer Lin Qilei on 18 November and asked him to fabricate a fraud claim against his client A-Nya Sangdra.

Human rights lawyer, Lin Qilei. Credit: David Massal.

When Lin refused, authorities called him and told him they were going to pursue a fraud charge against his client anyway.

A-Nya Sangdra is a Tibetan nomad and community campaigner from Golog prefecture. He has been falsely accused by the authorities of “provoking trouble” and “organising a mob to disturb social order,” Lin said.

Lin Qilei has been investigating the government’s case against him and learnt authorities are trying to charge him under China’s broadly-worded campaign against what it calls “underworld forces”.

“I and another lawyer defending this case firmly believe these charges are false and are related to the ongoing nationwide campaign crackdown against ”underworld forces,” Lin said.

Adding “Police asked me to make a record for a fraud case [against him]. I refused… He has been detained by the Chinese government… I think they intend to add another charge.”

A-Nya has decided not to plead guilty and is one of ten Tibetans who have been detained and charged in the same case. A pre-trial meeting for his case was held on 15 October and the trial itself is pending.

A-Nya has been legally fighting the local government for years and has led over 200 Tibetans in efforts to sue the government’s Provincial Commission for Discipline.