Dharamshala, July 12: Today is marked as the inaugural of “Tibetan Heroes Day” on the first death anniversary of human rights defender and Tibetan Buddhist leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, who died in 12th July 2015. Non-government Organisations like International Tibetan Network, Tibetan Women’s Association and Students for Free Tibet has made a decision to present ” Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage” award to a Tibetan political prisoner and retired doctor, Mrs. Yeshe Choedron, in recognition of her courage and dedication for promoting Tibetan human rights and justice for the tibetan people.
The day was attented by the Chief guest Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok (Deputy speaker of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile), Mr. Ajay Mankotia Singh (President of ITFA), MPs of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Mr. Dawa Rinchen (Representative of Dharamshala), Ms. Dhardon Sharling (Co-Chair of ITN), Mrs. Dolma Yangchen (President of TWA), Mr. Dorjee Tseten (Asia Director of SFT) and fomer Tibetan political Prisoners.
The award has been received by Mrs. Dolma Yangchen, President of TWA on behalf of Mrs. Yeshe Choedron, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison. She has been accused of leaking state secret to “the Dalai clique’s security deparment”. Despite Foreign governments repeatedly raising Mrs. Yeshe Choedron’s case, the Chinese government has not responded. Tibetan sources who know Mrs. Yeshe la, has reported of her poor health condition.
Mrs. Dolma Yangchen speech “By honoring Yeshe Choedron we pay tribute to her courage and the courage of thousands of other Tibetans in or from Tibet who have spent years of their lives unfairly imprisoned for the important role they have played in the struggle for Tibetan Freedom”.
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was widely known for working to develop social, medical, educational and religious institutions for Tibetan nomads in eastern Tibet, as an advocate for environmental conservation in the face of indiscriminate logging and mining projects, and as a mediator between Tibetans and Chinese. He was convicted for alleged involvement in an unrest activities in Tibet by Chineses authorities and sentenced to death in December 2002 along with Lobsang Dhondup, a 28-year-old assistant of his. Lobsang was executed in n late January 2003. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was sentenced to life impresonment on 26 January 2005 and died on 12 July 2015 in Chengdu, China at the age of 65. Prior to his death Tibetans and rights groups had called for his release on medical parole. His death was followed by calls for the release of his body in order to determine the cause of death and carry out traditional funeral rites; one protest was met by China’s security forces opening fire, injuring several Tibetans. Chinese authorities cremated the body without an autopsy.
Bodh Gyalo!!
