Tibetan whistleblower sentenced to eight months in prison for exposing illegal mining

1 year ago

Chinese authorities have sentenced Tsongon Tsering, a Tibetan youth from Tsaruma village in Kakhog County, to eight months in prison for exposing and protesting illegal mining activities, the Dharamshala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) reported. On October 27, the Kyungchu County People’s Court convicted Tsering on charges of “disrupting social order,” a widely criticised accusation used by Chinese authorities to suppress dissent. Currently held at Kyungchu County Prison, Tsering had been detained incommunicado following the release of his viral video on October 14. The video documented severe environmental destruction caused by illegal mining and accused local authorities of neglecting their duty to enforce regulations against the Anhui Xianhe Construction Engineering Company.