Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche or Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche (Tibetan: བསྟན་ འཛིན་ བདེ་ ལེགས་, Wylie: Bstan 'dzin bde legs; * 1950 in Litang , Tibet , People's Republic of China ; † July 12, 2015 in Chengdu , Sichuan ) was a Tibetan Buddhist teacher from Garzê (also: Kardze, tib. Dkar mdzes, Tibetan དཀར་ མཛེས) in Sichuan. He died in Chinese custody after 13 years.

Live and act

Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has worked to preserve Tibetan culture and identity. In his community he also took care of the development of social, medical, school and religious institutions. He was also committed to the Tibetan nomads and environmental protection and directed the construction of new monasteries.

Arrest and conviction

On April 7, 2002, he and his 28-year-old assistant, Lobsang Dhondup, were charged with participating in a bomb attack in the main square of Chengdu , the provincial capital of Sichuan. They were also accused of "illegal gun possession" and "separatist activities". Both were sentenced to death. Lobsang Dhondup was executed in January 2003. Under international pressure, the verdict against Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has been commuted to life imprisonment. During the trial, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche managed to get a message across to the outside world, with which he affirmed his innocence. Until his death he repeatedly distanced himself from the accusations made against him.

Conditions of detention

According to reports from several organizations , Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has been tortured in custody. Shortly before his death, the report “Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. Urgent Plea for Medical Parole, ” which addressed the Buddhist teacher's worrying state of health. Accordingly, he suffered from serious heart problems, high blood pressure and leg problems. However, he was denied medical care in custody.

In December 2009, thousands of Tibetans in his homeland of Lithang called on the authorities to release Tenzin Delek Rinpoche from custody. In this context, as many as 160 Tibetans were reportedly arrested by those present.

International protests and statements after his death

There were protests all over the world and especially in Germany because the exact circumstances of his death were not clarified. In addition, his body was cremated against his family's wishes.

In Germany, the Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid, Christoph Strässer , and the CDU / CSU parliamentary group have made public statements and spoken out in favor of clarifying the circumstances of his death.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Free Tibetan Heroes: Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. Retrieved August 17, 2015 .
  2. ^ Tibet Initiative Deutschland eV: Profile of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; accessed on August 17, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.tibet-initiative.de
  3. ↑ International Tibet Network: Tenzin Delek Rinpoche: Urgent Plea for Medical Parole. Retrieved August 17, 2015 .
  4. ^ Radio Free Asia: Tibetan Protest over Monk. Retrieved August 17, 2015 .
  5. ↑ Reuters: China cremates prominent Tibetan monk against family's wishes. Retrieved August 17, 2015 .
  6. ↑ Federal Foreign Office: Human Rights Commissioner on the death of civil rights activist Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche. Retrieved August 17, 2015 .
  7. ↑ CDU / CSU parliamentary group: Steinbach must clarify the death of the Tibetan civil rights activist Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche. Retrieved August 17, 2015 .
personal data
SURNAME Tenzin Delek Rinpoche
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Rinpoche, Tenzin Deleg (alternative spelling)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Tibetan minister and teacher of Buddhism
DATE OF BIRTH 1950
PLACE OF BIRTH Litang , Tibet
DATE OF DEATH July 12, 2015
Place of death Chengdu , Sichuan , People's Republic of China