Tenzin Delek Rinpoche | Medical Parole

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The International Tibet Network member groups are appealing to world governments to urgently pursue the medical parole of long-term political prisoner and Tibetan Buddhist monk, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche.

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has been in prison for 13 years and is known to be in extremely poor health with a serious heart condition and high blood pressure. During a rare visit to see Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, his family spoke to a doctor who told them that he believed Tenzin Delek Rinpoche had a serious heart condition for which he needed surgery.

An official application for medical parole was made by Tenzin Delek’s family in 2014. Authorities have not responded to the application nor have they granted visitation rights to the family. Tenzin Delek is entitled to both visitation rights and medical parole under Chinese law.

Charged with “crimes of terror and incitement of separatism”, Tenzin Delek was sentenced to death, with a 2-year reprieve, on 2 December 2002 by the Kardze (CH: Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court. His conviction was based on a confession obtained under torture by his alleged co-conspirator, Lobsang Dondrup, who was also found guilty and executed on 26 January 2003. Tenzin Delek’s case was commuted to a life sentence in 2005, and subsequently reduced to 20 years. During the trial, no evidence other than the confession of Lobsang Dondrup was offered into evidence and Tenzin Delek maintained his innocence throughout. To date, no court documents have been released, shrouding the proceedings in secrecy.

DOWNLOAD a New Report, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche | Urgent Plea for Medical Parole