Tibetan monk who died in Chinese prison cremated against family’s wishes, suspect he was murdered

"Chinese authorities denied us our right to pay our final respect to Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and refused to return his body to us for Buddhist rites. My family believes he was murdered.” - Geshe Nyima, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s cousin

BREAKING: Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body cremated in Chinese prison against family’s demands

July 15, 2015
 

Today, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body was cremated at a secret prison, located approximately 5km from Chuandong prison in Chengdu, at around 7am local Beijing time by the prison authorities as reported by his family members. The cremation took place against the wishes of his family to release the body in order to perform the final Buddhist rites in his hometown Lithang.

Around 30 Tibetans who were Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s immediate family and students were allowed inside the secret prison to see the body before the cremation and perform a short prayer. The cremation follows unsuccessful negotiations over the release of the body between Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s family and prison authorities, which was followed by more than 100 Tibetans staging a peaceful sit-in protest outside Chuandong prison.

No cameras or phones were allowed inside the undisclosed prison where Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was cremated. His family described the prison conditions as despicable and “worthy for a beggar”. All of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s belongings were reportedly burned and the family and mourning crowd were not permitted to hold on to any remains.

Geshe Nyima, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s student and cousin says in a phone message: “I am heartbroken, but also extremely angry. My family cannot accept this. We will not stop demanding justice until we have answers. Chinese authorities denied us our right to pay our final respect to Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and refused to return his body to us for Buddhist rites. My family believes he was murdered.”

Tenzin Dolkar, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, says: “Injustice was committed against Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and his family by the Chinese government. With his death, Tibetans in Tibet lost their beloved leader and teacher. Today, their right to perform the last Buddhist rites for Tenzin Delek was taken away. Chinese authorities cremated his body with complete disregard to the family's wishes. It is a failure of world governments to allow the Chinese government to get away with committing such violence against Tibetans.”

For more information contact:

Tenzin Dolkar, tdolkar@studentsforafreetibet.org, +1 (917) 664-5530 (English)

Padma Dolma, padma@studentsforafreetibet.org, +1 (917) 664- 3315 (English, German)

https://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/media-center/press-releases/press-releases/breaking-tenzin-delek-rinpoche2019s-body-cremated-in-chinese-prison-against-family2019s-demands

Justice for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

"Since I am a Tibetan, I have always been sincere and devoted to the interests and well-being of Tibetan people. That is the real reason why the Chinese do not like me and framed me. That is why they are going to take my precious life even though I am innocent." - Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Back on April 7, 2015 this blog echoed the call for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche to be granted medical parole after his health declined on the 13th year of an unjust 20 year prison sentence. On July 12, 2015, just a little over three months later Chinese authorities informed his family that this Buddhist monk and political prisoner had died in prison but did not specify the circumstances surrounding his death nor returned the remains to his loved ones. His cousin Geshe Nyima said in a statement: 

"Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was an innocent monk who suffered over 13 years of unjust imprisonment, torture and abuse in a Chinese prison for simply advocating for the rights and well-being of his people and for expressing his devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. ... "The Chinese government must immediately release his body so that our family and community may perform the last Buddhist religious rites".

Students for a Free Tibet is requesting that people of good will request the following of their respective government:

1. Demand a public inquiry into the circumstances of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's death. He was a political prisoner at the top of the priority listing for a number of countries and his passing must be officially acknowledged and the causes investigated.

2. Appeal to your Chinese counterparts that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's body is returned to his family so that they can carry out final Tibetan Buddhist religious rites.
 
3. Express strong condemnation at the passing of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche; and convey to China its concern that he was sentenced in secrecy for a crime he did not commit, and China's failure to respond to the application for medical parole.

Student activists stormed the Chinese consulate in New York City on July 13th demanding that his body be returned to his family so that they be able to perform "the last Buddhist religious rites." Take action here and petition your government to demand that the Chinese dictatorship do the right thing then share the link with others. The international community must speak out or risk being morally complicit by its silence.

Save Tenzin: Take two minutes and help save a life

Medical Parole for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Above image and text below copied from Students for a Free Tibet. Please take two minutes and sign the petition below and help save a life.

For the past 13 years, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche a human rights defender, and revered Tibetan Buddhist Lama and a widely respected community leader has been a prisoner of the Chinese state and suffered years of abuse and torture in prison for a crime he did not commit. His family and all of us are extremely fearful for his life. With little to no medical treatment for his heart condition, his health has severly deteriorated.

Sign the petition to urge your Foreign Minister to call on Chinese leaders to grant medical parole for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. For more information visit the website SaveTenzin.org and view the video below: