Tibetan environmentalist released after serving nearly 15 years in prison
He now suffers from back-related health issues and assistance to walk after years of prison labor, sources said.
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A prominent Tibetan art collector and environmental activist who was sentenced to prison in 2010 has been released after serving nearly 15 years amid deteriorating health and is expected to remain under strict surveillance, three sources told Radio Free Asia.
Karma Samdrub, 56, was arrested by Chinese authorities in January 2010 and sentenced by the Yangi County Court in Xinjiang later that year on trumped up charges of excavating ancient tombs and robbing cultural artifacts, despite having been cleared of all charges in a 1998 investigation.
He was released from prison in Xinjiang’s Shaya County on Monday, according to the three sources, who spoke to RFA on the condition of anonymity for security reasons.
In photos taken just after his release, the once well-built Tibetan businessman is seen needing the support of at least two to aid in his walking.
“He is now suffering from spinal and back-related health issues and needs assistance to even walk due to prolonged mistreatment, torture and prison labor in the past 15 years,” one of the sources told RFA.
Samdrub comes from a family of prominent Tibetans. He was the founder of the award-winning Three Rivers Environmental Protection Group and was profiled by a Chinese state media organization as its Philanthropist of the Year in 2006.
He and his brothers also won international awards for their conservation activities, including one from Ford Motors and a grant from the Jet Li One Foundation.
Brothers also arrested
At the time of his detention, Karma Samdrup was in the process of setting up a museum of Tibetan culture, and was judged by other Tibetans to own the largest private collection in the world of Tibetan art and artifacts.
His 2010 arrest is widely believed to have been in retaliation to his efforts to secure the release of his two environmentalist brothers, Rinchen Samdrup and Chime Namgyal, both of whom were detained in August 2009.
Rinchen Samdrup was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of subversion and “splitting the motherland” after posting an article about the Dalai Lama on a website. Family members, however, said he was detained after he accused local officials of hunting endangered animals.
Chime Namgyal received a two-year sentence on charges related to his conservationist work with Rinchen Samdrup.
One of the three sources who spoke to RFA said that the two brothers were among the family members, friends and acquaintances who welcomed Karma Samdrup home this week.
As part of his 2010 sentence, Samdrub will be deprived of all political rights for the next five years. This means that his civil and political freedoms will be restricted, including the right to the freedom of assembly and speech, as well as the right to hold a position in various organizations.
Additional reporting by Tsering Namgyal. Translated by Tenzin Dickyi. Edited by Tenzin Pema, Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
