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Tibetan youth detained, warned over Dalai Lama photo

Young man defends right to keep pic during questioning
Tibetan youth detained, warned over Dalai Lama photo

The Dalai Lama speaks to the crowd at the start of a press conference at the University of California-San Diego, June 16, 2017. (Photo by Bill Wechter/AFP)

Published: June 21, 2017 07:01 AM GMT
Updated: June 21, 2017 07:15 AM GMT

A young Tibetan living in northwest China's Qinghai province has been released after being held by police for more than two weeks for possessing a photo of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Taken into custody recently at a teashop in Qinghai’s Golog (in Chinese, Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, the young man defended his right to keep the photo, which was stored as an image on his mobile phone, he told Radio Free Asia (RFA) by phone.

"I am a faithful Tibetan Buddhist who has absolute reverence for His Holiness the Dalai Lama," the young man said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"And so I cannot accept that possession of His Holiness’s picture should be considered illegal."

The Dalai Lama, who turns 82 this year, fled Tibet into exile during a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule, and possession or displays of his photo or public celebrations of his birthday have been met with harsh punishment in the past.

Also found on the young man’s phone was an image of the banned Tibetan national flag, he said.

"During the 15 days of my detention, the police interrogated me on a variety of issues related to my possession of those incriminating pictures, particularly the Tibetan national flag, and asked me many questions," he said.

"However, they did not beat or physically harm me in any way."

The young Tibetan’s interrogators warned him not to listen to or read news coming from media sources outside China, however, adding that even if he came across this by accident, he should be careful not to share it with others, he said.

"And they told me that if they ever found me in possession of pictures like this again, I would be in big trouble," he said.

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