Tibet Watch has learned that Tsering Dorjee, 45, was detained for a month in February 2019 after conversations with his brother were monitored.

Tsering Dorjee

He was arrested in Lhatse in south Tibet and detained in a ‘re-education centre’.

Tsering, a resident of Peleb Village in Dhingri, was detained on 20 February in 2019.

He was reportedly arrested after having a phone conversation with his exiled brother Wangdu Tsering. During the phone conversation, he spoke about the importance of teaching Tibetan to their children.

Wangdu Tsering, the brother who lives in exile in India, said:

“I called my older brother that morning and we talked about how important it was to teach Tibetan language to our children. I told him if we didn’t advise our children early on, they would learn only Chinese.”

Wangdu received a phone call from a relative informing him about the detention of Dorjee, the same evening. He said:

“The detention officers told my brother that he was detained because he had maintained contact with outsiders and talked on the phone about Tibetan language education for children. And that was a political crime”.

Dorjee was later handed over to the Dhingri police by the Lhatse police. His mobile phone and other belongings were searched.

Subjected to long interrogations and beatings, he was finally released with a warning that sharing his detention experience with others would result in severe consequences.