Reported by Pema Tso
Translated By TenGyal
The Trikha County (Guide County) People’s Court in Tibet has sentenced Tsering Tso to one year’s imprisonment despite her innocence. Although she has challenged the verdict by filing an appeal with the Tsolho (Hainan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court, she continues to face serious procedural obstacles.
On December 9, under the fabricated charge of“instigating social unrest,” the so-called Trikha County People’s Court sentenced Tibetan female tour guide Tsering Tso to one year in prison. The court ruled that the sentence would be suspended and enforced two years from December 9, 2025, and placed her under house arrest until that time. In response, Tsering Tso submitted a complete petition requesting a retrial to the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court. Nevertheless, she continues to face difficulties due to the authorities’ failure to properly implement legal procedures.
The Trikha County People’s Court issued a written verdict outlining several mandatory conditions that must be observed during the period before the suspended sentence takes effect.
The court cited multiple provisions of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, including Article 75, Clause 1, which requires citizens “to observe laws and administrative rules and regulations, and submit to supervision”; Clause 2, which mandates citizens to report on his own movements as required by the observing organ; Clause 3, which requires citizens “to observe the regulations for receiving visitors stipulated by the observing organ; and Clause 4, which stipulates citizens “to report to obtain approval from the observing organ for any departure from the city or county he lives in for any change in residence.”The court further stated that any violation of these regulations would be handled in accordance with Article 77, Clause 2 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China.
In response to Tsering Tso’s categorical rejection of the charge of “instigating social unrest,” the court stated: “Since you have not complied with the decision of the Court, the trial documents will be handed over to a second court.” In reply, Tsering Tso emphasized that she had already submitted all required materials for a second trial through the National People’s Court Services website. She wrote, “For the purposes of a second trial, I have submitted the assessment archival records, the petition letter from the first trial, and all other required materials. The Trikha County People’s Court repeatedly and unlawfully pressured me to admit guilt, reflecting a complete disregard for the country’s laws and regulations. Therefore, I never accepted any of the charges.”
Speaking about the failure of the Tsolho (Hainan)Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court to properly process her appeal, Tsering Tso stated: “The Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court’s arbitrary collusion with the Trikha County People’s Court constitutes a violation of the rule of law. Moreover, since the petition for a retrial has been submitted to the Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court, the retrial must be conducted there. The proceedings should be broadcast live, and I appeal for the public to be allowed to watch the entire trial.”
Since 2015, Tsering Tso, now 41 years old, has consistently spoken out against the unlawful ethnic discrimination, targeted restrictions, and abuses committed by Chinese police and government officials against Tibetans, despite the personal risks involved. She has repeatedly sought to address these issues through lawful and legal means.
On December 19, 2023, while traveling by car with a colleague to Drachen County (Baqên County) in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), Tsering Tso was arbitrarily stopped and questioned by local police. She later shared details of the incident on her social media platforms, after which she was detained for nearly a week. Police accused her of “failing to cooperate with the investigation and of misrepresenting and fabricating events in three online videos, claiming the videos violated public law and harmed internet order.”
Previously, on November 11, 2022, she was detained for ten days by the Lhasa City Police for allegedly violating COVID-19 lockdown protocols. On October 26, 2023, she was arrested and detained for nearly half a month by the Kyegudo (Jyekundo or Gyêgumdo) Town Police for “spreading false information about the government and government officials on the internet.” Prior these aforementioned incidents, Tsering Tso had been detained five times.
