Gonmo Kyi sues police over ill-treatment
In December, Gonmo Kyi and her husband Choekyong were arbitrarily detained, beaten and denied hospital access following a peaceful protest
Tibet Watch has learned that Gonmo Kyi and her husband Choekyong have sued the police over the treatment in December 2023, when the pair were detained and beaten.
For over a year, Gonmo Kyi has staged regular protests outside the Higher People’s Court in Lhasa, urging authorities to grant a retrial for her brother, the imprisoned businessman Dorjee Tashi. She has conducted many of these protests alone, and has been joined in some of them by her husband.
On 12 December, the pair staged a sit-in outside the court, demanding a reexamination of Dorjee Tashi’s case and that they be able to visit him, something Gonmo Kyi states she had previously been promised.
Instead, they were detained and beaten by the police. Gonmo Kyi spent one week in detention and was the subject of an international campaign calling for her release.
In the lawsuit, Gonmo Kyi and Choekyon accuse the police of arbitrary detention and beatings, and of being denied the right to visit the hospital and receive treatment for the injuries Gonmo Kyi suffered.
A source close to Tibet Watch mentioned that the lawsuit was filed in Chengguan District People’s Court of Lhasa City, and added that “due to the repressive censorship and vigilant supervision of the Chinese government”, they were unable to obtain full documentation of the proceedings.
“The Lhasa city police, in collusion with the court, refused the couple’s requests and did not allow them to meet Dorjee Tashi in prison. The couple also continues to plead for a fair trial for Dorjee’s case.”
Dorjee Tashi continues to serve a life sentence after being arrested in 2008. Following the failure of political charges against him, he was convicted of loan fraud, a charge his family rejects.
Information supplied by Tibet Watch
