Ngawang Sangdrol (born in

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Southwest China. The inner urban area of Lhasa ...

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

, in 1977) is a former political prisoner, imprisoned at the age of 13 by the Government of the People's Republic of China, for peacefully demonstrating against the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1992. She was at first held for eight months without trial, before being sentenced to a three-year prison term. Her sentence was extended repeatedly for continued protest in prison, which included recording a tape of freedom songs with 13 other nuns from Drapchi Prison that was smuggled out of Tibet.

Prison

As a 13-year-old nun Ngawang became one of the youngest people convicted in China for calling for Tibet's independence. However, as her resolve for Tibetan Independence carried on in prison, Ngawang's original 3-year sentence was extended to a 23-year prison term after hearings in 1993, 1996 and 1998 (six years, eight years and six years respectively). These extensions were brought about due to Ngawang 'committing counterrevolutionary crimes in prison'.

Musical Protest in Prison

One of the protests that extended Ngawang's sentence occurred in October 1993 when Ngawang Sangdrol and 13 other nuns clandestinely recorded songs and poems in tribute to their homeland and the

14th Dalai Lama The 14th Dalai Lama (spiritual name Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso, known as Tenzin Gyatso (Tibetan: བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་, Wylie: ''bsTan-'dzin rgya-mtsho''); né Lhamo Thondup), known as ...

from inside Drapchi prison.Old
Canada Tibet Committee , Newsroom , WTN , Archive , Old
/ref> In total 27 tracks were able to be secretly recorded and smuggled out of prison.Trove
Seeing nothing but the sky [sound recording]. - Version details - Trove
/ref> Ngawang was the youngest of the thirteen Singing Nuns of Drapchi Prison.idahofilmfestival.com
Idaho Film Festival 2006
The recording made it out of Tibet and the CD, "''Seeing Nothing but the Sky...''" was available through the

Free Tibet Campaign Free Tibet (FT) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, founded in 1987 and based in London, England. According to their mission statement, Free Tibet advocates for "a free Tibet in which Tibetans are able to determine their own f ...

in London. The sentences of the fourteen nuns were extended for a further three years when the Chinese authorities learned of the recordings . In addition to this extension, the fourteen nuns were reportedly beaten for refusing to sing pro-china songs during a later flag raising ceremony. Due to these beatings several of the protesters reportedly died due to the beatings.China: Tibet's longest-serving female prisoner of conscience finally released , Amnesty International
Document - China: Tibet's longest-serving female prisoner of conscience finally released , Amnesty International
/ref> The cases include Ngawang Lochoe who died at age 28 from acute (necrotizing) pancreatitis; according to her records she had only been hospitalised on the day of her death and also novice nun Sherab Ngawang who was arrested alongside Ngawang. Sherab died from multiple organ damage due to her treatment. After Sherab's death her internal organs were able to be examined her organs were said to resemble those of a one-hundred-year-old instead of an eighteen-year-old.Philly.com
In Tale Of Three Deaths, The Story Of A Struggle They Were Young Nuns Who Suffered, Then Died, At The Hands Of Jail Guards. In The Land They Had Hoped Would Be Free, Theirs Is Not An Uncommon Fate. - Philly.com
/ref> Even though Ngawang Sangdrol and all of the other nuns suffered hugely during their imprisonment, Ngawang is adamant that their objective was worth the sacrifice. This sentiment is also carried in many of the nun's lyrics that were recorded:

"We friends and prisoners,
We will look for joy he Dalai Lama
It doesn’t matter if we are beaten,
/ Our arms cannot be separated,
The eastern cloud is not fixed on the horizon,
The time will come for the sun to appear."europarl.europa.eu
444750EN.pdf
/ref>

Treatment in Prison

The beatings after the flag-raising ceremony was not isolated incident. Torture was used against the nuns throughout their detention. These included the use of many instruments of physical torture; including the use of hard labour the use of metal bars, and electric cattle prods and suspending her by her arms with her arms tied behind her back. However, Ngawang states that the psychological torture was far worse. Ngawang still suffers from headaches, stomach and kidney problems due to how she was treated and due to her exile has not been able to visit her family.

International Support

As the nun's recordings began circulating around Tibet, this helped to create further interest in their plight. Ngawang Sangdrol became an

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and s ...

Prisoner of Conscience. In addition, Ngawang was also nominated by members of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...

for 2001

Sakharov Prize The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, commonly known as the Sakharov Prize, is an honorary award for individuals or groups who have dedicated their lives to the defence of human rights and freedom of thought. Named after Russian scientis ...

for freedom of thought.

Release and Activism

As a result of intense international pressures from various

Human Rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and Tibetan political organizations, as well as John Kamm, director of the Dui Hua Foundation, her sentence was commuted to 11 years from her original 23-year sentence. She was released in October 2002. Due to Ngawang's health problems the Dui Hua Foundation arranged for Ngawang to fly for treatment in the United States in March 2003. Since her release and exile Ngawang has remained a prominent figure in the

Tibetan independence movement The Tibetan Independence Movement () is the political movement advocating for the separation and independence of Tibet from the People's Republic of China. It is principally led by the Tibetan diaspora in countries like India and the United ...

. Quickly after her release Ngawang became involved in lobbying of the release of fellow singing nun

Phuntsog Nyidron Phuntsog Nyidron (born 1969) is a Tibetan Buddhist nun and a former high-profile prisoner in Tibet. In 1989, she and eight other nuns traveled from her hometown to the provincial capital of Lhasa when it was convulsed by Tibetan independence prot ...

who was finally released in 2004, after 16 years imprisonment, thus making Phuntsog Tibet's longing serving prisoner of conscience. Ngawang presently works for the

International Campaign for Tibet The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is a non-profit advocacy group working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans, ensure their human rights, and protect Tibetan culture and the environment. Founded in 1988, ICT is the world's larges ...

as a

analyst In addition, as Ngawang is now a citizen of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

she is now able to practice

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

once again.

Prisonnière à Lhassa

In 2003 French

authors An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

Philippe Broussard and Danielle Laeng released the book, ''"Prisonnière à Lhassa"'' (which translates into English as 'The Prisoner of Lhasa') detailing the ongoing protests, imprisonment and subsequent release of Ngawang Sangdrol.amazon.com
La Prisonniere de Lhassa (Ldp Litterature) (French Edition): P. Laeng Broussard: 9782253154136: Amazon.com: Books
/ref> The book inspired the French

Film Director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

Marie Louville to create the 2006 documentary with the same name.

References

External links

*
China: John Kamm’s List

Ngawang Sangdrol, Prominent Tibetan Political Prisoner, Released Ahead of Bush-Jiang Meeting
*
Students for a Free Tibet
*
Tibetan Women's Association

The Nuns of Drapchi Prison (music tracks at Amazon.com)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sangdrol, Ngawang Tibetan Buddhist nuns 1977 births Tibetan women Living people Tibetan Buddhists from Tibet Chinese prisoners and detainees Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by China Tibetan activists Tibet freedom activists Tibetan torture victims Vajrayana and women 20th-century Buddhist nuns 21st-century Buddhist nuns