Additional Name(s): Soeta, So-tra, བསོད་བཀྲ་, 索扎, 所扎, Woezer
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Tibetan
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Tibetan
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 3 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November/7/2019
Date of Sentencing: December/14/2020
Current Status: Unknown
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions
Nature of Charges: Separatism
Sota
Extra Bio Info:
Sota was imprisoned for protesting religious freedom conditions.
On November 7, 2019, authorities in Sershul (Shiqu) county, Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, detained several monks, including Sota, from Sershul’s Dza Bonpo Monastery after they had criticized Chinese government policies at a local government office. The monks had reportedly been handing out leaflets and shouting slogans calling for Tibetan independence and human rights in Tibet.
On December 14, 2020, the Ganzi Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Sota to three years in prison for “inciting to split the country."
Sota's sentence should have ended in November 2022.
Sources:
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"Sota" Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
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"China: Tibetan Monk Dies from Beating in Custody" Human Rights Watch
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"China detains six Tibetans over distributing leaflets calling Tibet's independence" Tibet Post International
Additional Name(s): Choephel, Qiupai, ཀུན་གསལ་, 贡塞, 求排
Gender: Male
Perpetrator: China
Ethnic Group: Tibetan
Religion or Belief: Buddhist – Tibetan
Reports of Torture: No
Reports of Medical Neglect: No
Sentence: 4 Years' Imprisonment
Date of Detainment: November/7/2019
Date of Sentencing: December/14/2020
Current Status: Unknown
Religious Leader: Yes
Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment
Reason for Persecution: Protesting Religious Freedom Conditions
Nature of Charges: Separatism
Kunsal
Extra Bio Info:
Kunsal was imprisoned for protesting religious freedom conditions.
On November 7, 2019, authorities in Sershul (Shiqu) county, Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, detained several monks, including Kunsal, from Sershul’s Dza Bonpo Monastery after they had criticized Chinese government policies at a local government office. The monks had reportedly been handing out leaflets and shouting slogans calling for Tibetan independence and human rights in Tibet.
On December 14, 2020, the Ganzi Intermediate People’s Court sentenced Kunsal to four years in prison for “inciting to split the country."
Kunsal's sentence should have ended in November 2023.
Sources:
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"Kunsal" Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC)
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"China: Tibetan Monk Dies from Beating in Custody" Human Rights Watch
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"China detains six Tibetans over distributing leaflets calling Tibet's independence" Tibet Post International
Jun 3, 2022
Uzbekistan is one of a handful of countries that has seen dramatic improvements for religious freedom in recent years; however, religious communities are still experiencing high levels of government regulation and repression that is continuing to impact their ability to exercise their freedom of religion or belief.
In April 2022, USCIRF sent a delegation to Uzbekistan. Senior Policy Analyst Keely Bakken, who was part of that USCIRF delegation to Uzbekistan, joins us today to discuss the outcome of the trip, recent developments since then, and other areas of possible reform in Uzbekistan.
Read USCIRF’s report on Uzbekistan’s Religious and Political Prisoners
With Contributions from:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Keely Bakken, Senior Policy Analyst, USCIRF
Gabrielle Hasenstab, Communications Specialist, USCIRF