Chinese police in a restive Tibetan prefecture of Sichuan province detained a teenage girl who staged a solitary protest this week, beating her severely as they took her away, according to a local source.
Jigme Dolma, 17, had gone to protest at the Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) county center of Kardze prefecture on June 24 “without informing her family,” a Tibetan woman living in the area said, speaking to RFA on condition of anonymity.
“She chose the large bridge in Kardze town that leads to Serthar [in Chinese, Seda] to stage her protest.”
Walking from the bridge to a crossroads in the center of town, Dolma threw leaflets in the air and called out for freedom for Tibet, the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, and the release of Tibetan political prisoners, the source said.
“When she reached the main part of town, police overwhelmed her and took her away, beating her at the same time.”
Relatives found her seriously injured and with her arm in a splint at a local hospital on June 28, the source said. It was unclear if she was under guard.
“Jigme Dolma never attended school but helped her family with field work and other household chores” the source said.
“She lived in Shongka village in the Karashang township. Her father’s name is Choeyang and her mother’s name is Atse Lhamo.”
“Her family members had been active in protests against Chinese rule,” the source said, adding that a nun named Traga, coming from the same family, had participated in a protest in 2008 and been jailed for one year and seven months.
Restive Kardze prefecture was the scene of a series of mass public protests in January and February challenging Chinese rule.
On March 25, authorities detained four Tibetans, including two monks, in the region during their search for key protest participants.
The protests were held in conjunction with the Tibetan New Year, during which participants complained of lack of freedom and called for the return of exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
Reported by Norbu Damdul for RFA’s Tibetan service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.