Two monks from Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan province were sentenced last year to an 11-year prison term for hoisting a banned Tibetan national flag. Their families did not receive notification until this year.

According to reports by the Indian-based Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD), the two monks from Kardze, Sichuan province, were Lobsang Khedrup, 22, and Gyalpo, 26. They were good friends. Between 2003 and the beginning of 2004, both monks hoisted the Tibetan national flag many times on a radio frequency jamming tower. Gyalpo was arrested in January 2004 while Lobsang Khedrup was arrested one month later. The Kardze Intermediate People’s Court sentenced both monks to 11 years in prison. They are now imprisoned in Dartsedo Prison, Kardze. A reporter attempted to make calls to the prison, but no one has ever answered. An official at the Kardze Intermediate People’s Court responded to the reporter by saying he wasn’t sure

Official: You should search for information elsewhere because we don’t normally release information to the public.

Reporter: Do you have any recollections?

Official: None.

Reporter: But this case does exist, doesn’t it?

Official: I’m not sure.

According to information received by TCHRD, after both monks disappeared last year, concerned family members lost complete contact with them and searched for them everywhere until reports about the sentencing recently surfaced.

Currently, Tibet’s government-in-exile is based in Dharamsala, India. Dawa Tsering, the head of Information and International Relations stated, “This piece of information is absolutely correct. They were secretly arrested. When they were sleeping at night, the police came and took them away. For a long time their family members had been searching for information and found out only this year that the two had not only been arrested, but sentenced as well. Only when people from their hometown visited India, did the information finally reach India. It usually happens this way. When family members or monks from Tibet go to India, they hand over written letters to the Tibetan government-in-exile. Tsering further stated that the Chinese government has been taking tougher measures against Tibetans and the sentences have gradually been extended. Tsering said, “Hoisting up a national flag was merely a symbol of their enthusiasm, but they got sentenced to 11 years for doing so.”

TCHRD said the case of Lobsang Khedrup and Gyalpo is a clear violation of a provision within the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which the People's Republic of China (PRC) is a signatory. TCHRD calls upon the Chinese authorities to immediately and unconditionally release the two monks.

Compiled from Radio Free Asia recordings