China violates own prison rules to block family, lawyer visits to Dorjee Tashi for fifth consecutive year, Tibet Watch reports
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 10 June: Chinese prison authorities in occupied Tibet continue to deny family visits to imprisoned Tibetan businessman and philanthropist Dorjee Tashi, with the last recorded visit having taken place in 2019. According to a report by Tibet Watch, the research wing of the London-based advocacy group Free Tibet, the continued restrictions have heightened concerns for his well-being, especially given his documented history of severe torture while in custody.
On 29 April, prison officials reportedly refused a scheduled visit by Tashi’s brother Dorjee Tseten, who had previously served a six-year prison term, and Chinese lawyer Wang Fie, citing a vague “violation of prison rules.”
Tibet Watch noted that the visit had been properly scheduled over a month in advance, following all standard legal procedures and with complete documentation submitted to the authorities.
The report highlights that the denial of the visit violates Article 8 of China’s Regulations on Lawyers Meeting with Detained Criminals, which mandates that prison authorities must “arrange meetings promptly” for properly submitted requests or provide “clear explanations within 48 hours” for any delays—neither of which occurred in this case.
Dorjee Tashi’s family has increasingly taken public action after 17 years of exhausting all official channels. The lawyer representing the family has alleged that both the appeals court and the supervision commission have been acting under political instructions.
In February 2020, Dorjee Tashi’s elder brother, Dorjee Tseten, published a detailed online statement alleging that the cases against Tashi had been fabricated by court officials and police, reportedly under the influence of a senior Tibetan official named Norbu Dhondup.
Their sister, Gonpo (Gonmo) Kyi, has also engaged in peaceful protests. In April 2024, she was reportedly beaten by police following solo sit-ins outside the Tibet Higher People’s Court in Lhasa a month earlier.
Dorjee Tashi, now 51, was one of the most prominent Tibetan entrepreneurs, known for owning a chain of luxury hotels in Lhasa. He was also a member of the Chinese Communist Party. He was arrested in July 2008, shortly after China launched a wide-scale crackdown in occupied Tibet.
He was sentenced to life in prison following a secret trial, during which a court ordered the confiscation of all his property and assets. It was only in 2018 that it was publicly revealed he had been convicted for allegedly misusing loan funds. However, an expert legal analysis by a Beijing-based law firm, commissioned by the family, concluded that the evidence could not reasonably support a fraud conviction, let alone a life sentence.
According to a statement by Dorjee Tashi—verified by his family and published by an overseas human rights organisation —he was initially tortured and interrogated in an unofficial detention site, often referred to as a “black jail.” Even after his transfer to an official detention centre, the interrogation team reportedly used such brutal methods that regular security personnel attempted to intervene.
The Tibet Watch report cites sources inside the prison indicating the involvement of a special secret police unit known as “Guobao”, which is believed to be based in Beijing. This unit allegedly carried out the most severe torture and is said to be unaccountable to any external oversight. Members of the unit reportedly claimed that even the National People’s Congress, the highest organ in China’s political system, had no authority over their actions.
