Reported and Edited by Kelsang Jinpa
Translated By TenGyal
Samten, a monk from Dhitsa Geden Tashi Chöding Ling—one of the four major monasteries in Palung County, northern Amdo—passed away after being subjected to severe beatings during police interrogation. Following his death in custody, Chinese authorities returned his body to the monastery.
According to verifiable information received by Tibet Times, the local police in Palung County in Haidong Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, arrested the monk Samten, who subsequently died after being beaten during interrogation. On December 8, 2025, local police returned Samten’s body to his monastery.
According to the source, the police informed the monks of Geden Tashi Chöding Ling Monastery that Samten had fallen ill suddenly and died in the hospital despite rescue efforts, while strictly warning them not to disclose this information to anyone. No explanation was provided for Samten’s initial arrest, and the current situation of his family members remains unknown.
The related source went on state that Samten was also previously arrested in 2021. At that time, local police accused him of sharing images and information regarding the (Tibetan Government in Exile) Central Tibetan Administration’s elections on the messaging app, WeChat. Since then, local security personnels had been keeping Samten under strict surveillance.
Samten, approximately 25 years old, was a monk at Dhitsa Geden Tashi Chöding Ling Monastery. This monastery is situated in Shongshan (Xiongxian) Tibetan Township, Palung County, within the Haidong Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Founded by the first Je Shamar Pandita, Gendun Tenzin Gyatso, the monastery currently houses about four hundred monks.
