A Tibet activist who was sentenced to five years in prison by the Chinese authorities for „inciting separatism“ has been released from prison. Tashi Wangchuk’s attorney Liang Xiaojun said yesterday that his client was brought home by officials and is now staying with his sister in Yushu, Qinghai Province. His health is good, but he is unsure whether Tashi is „completely free“.
Liang later told the AFP news agency that after he was able to speak to the activist, he and his family could no longer be reached. He therefore feared that Tashi would be subject to further restrictions.
Tashi Wangchuk was sentenced in 2018. As evidence of the charge of „inciting separatism“, the prosecution referred to a short documentary in the „New York Times“ about Tashi’s efforts to preserve Tibetan culture. He had already been arrested two years earlier. The documentary showed Tashi on a trip to Beijing, where he tried to appeal to the state media and courts against the declining use of the Tibetan language.
