Takna Jigme Sangpo (; 1926 – 17 October 2020) was the longest-serving political prisoner of Tibetan ethnicity, having spent 37 years in a prison near

Lhasa Lhasa (; Lhasa dialect: ; bo, text=ལྷ་ས, translation=Place of Gods) is the urban center of the prefecture-level city, prefecture-level Lhasa (prefecture-level city), Lhasa City and the administrative capital of Tibet Autonomous Regio ...

Life

First imprisoned in 1965, he was released from prison on a

medical parole Compassionate release is a process by which inmates in criminal justice systems may be eligible for immediate early release on grounds of "particularly extraordinary or compelling circumstances which could not reasonably have been foreseen by t ...

on 31 March 2002 having reached the age of 76.Longest serving Tibetan political prisoner Jigme Sangpo released (TIN)
/ref> He resided in the

Drapchi Prison Drapchi Prison, or Lhasa Prison No. 1 (, lit. "four corners"; ), is the largest prison in Tibet, China, located in Lhasa. Drapchi is named after its location and was originally a military garrison until it was converted into a prison after th ...

. He was first sentenced to three years of "re-education through labour" in 1965 because, as a schoolteacher (became a teacher in 1952), he had "corrupted the minds of children with reactionary ideas". He served a further ten-year sentence from 1970 as punishment for "political activities". In 1983 he received a 15-year sentence and five years deprivation of

civil and political rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

for "spreading and inciting counter-revolutionary propaganda" after he had been seen pasting a personally written wall poster at the gates of the Jokhang temple in Lhasa on 12 July 1983. That sentence was increased by five years after he shouted "reactionary slogans" in Drapchi on 1 December 1988. On 6 December 1991, he was reportedly beaten, held in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

for six weeks, and his sentence extended by eight years for shouting "Free Tibet" during a visit to Drapchi prison by the Swiss ambassador to China. Following his involvement in protests at Drapchi prison on 1 May 1998 until 4 May 1998, he was held in

. Even while imprisoned, he continued to protest for a free Tibet, for which he was given additional prison sentences of many years. Despite his advanced age and years in prison, he continued to encourage his fellow Tibetans in their struggle for freedom. An April 2002 report described him as "one of the most determined and intransigent

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although n ...

s in Drapchi . . . highly respected by other political prisoners".

John Kamm John Kamm is an American businessman and human rights activist. He is the founder of The Dui Hua Foundation, a nonprofit humanitarian organization that promotes universal human rights in well-informed, mutually respectful dialogue with China. He is ...

, director of the

Dui Hua Foundation The Dui Hua Foundation ( zh, s=中美对话基金会, t=中美對話基金會, p=Zhōngměi Duìhuà Jījīnhuì, l=China-America Dialogue Foundation), or Dui Hua, is a San Francisco-based nonprofit humanitarian organization that seeks clemency a ...

, has been involved in negotiations for Sangpo's release. Sangpo was released on 31 March 2002, and was authorized to go to Washington on 13 July 2002. In August 2002, he settled in Switzerland as a political refugee. He was invited to speak at the UN Council on 6 June 2008. Sangpo is listed in the US Congressional Executive Commission On China Political Prisoner Database (PPD). Gu Chu Sum Movement of Tibet, an ex-political prisoners organisation, in

McLeod Ganj McLeod Ganj, also spelt McLeodganj, (pronounced ''Mc-loud-gunj'') is a suburb of Dharamshala in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is known as "Little Lhasa" or "Dhasa" (a short form of Dharamshala used mainly by Tibetans) because ...

published his biography on 24 January 2014. Biography of Takna Jigme Sangpo released
/ref>

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sangpo, Takna Jigme 1926 births 2020 deaths Swiss people of Tibetan descent Chinese prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of the People's Republic of China Chinese emigrants to Switzerland