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BEIJING, January 29: A Tibetan activist sentenced to five years in prison by Chinese authorities for “inciting separatism” after appearing in a New York Times documentary has been released from jail, his lawyer said on Friday.
Tashi Wangchuk was sentenced in 2018 after prosecutors cited a short documentary about his work protecting his culture as evidence of his alleged incitement. He had been arrested two years earlier.
The documentary followed Tashi as he traveled to Beijing, where he tried to get Chinese state media and courts to address what he describes as declining use of the Tibetan language.
His lawyer Liang Xiaojun tweeted on Thursday that Tashi had been escorted home by officials and was now with his sister’s family in Yushu, Qinghai province and in good health, although Liang was not sure whether Tashi was “completely free. “.
But Liang told AFP on Friday that after an initial communication, he was now unable to communicate with Tashi and his family, raising fears that he will continue to be subject to official restrictions.
Judicial and prison officials in Qinghai, a province with a large ethnic Tibetan population, declined to comment when contacted by AFP.
Beijing says it “peacefully liberated” Tibet in 1951 and insists it has brought development to a previously backward region.
But many Tibetans accuse him of exploiting the region’s natural resources and encouraging the influx of the majority Han ethnic group, which critics say is diluting native culture and Buddhist faith.
China’s constitution nominally protects free speech, but critics say it is a fig leaf for a hard-line approach to any opinion critical of Beijing.
Human rights groups have accused the Xi government of intensifying its crackdown on expression.
Anti-censorship group PEN American said Thursday it was “delighted” to learn of Tashi’s release.
“Tashi served years behind bars unfairly, simply for defending the rights of the Tibetan language,” James Tager, PEN research director, said in a statement. – AFP
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