Tibetan musicians

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Artist: Lo Lo, Shawo Tashi, Kelsang Yarphel, Gonpo Tenzin, Trinley Tsekar

Year: 2016

Date of Action:

Region: Asia

Location: Tibet

Subject: Political/Economic/Social Opinion, Religion

Medium: Music

Confronting Bodies: Government of China

Description of Artwork: Tibetan songs.

The Incident: The government of China is holding (at least) five Tibetan musicians, Lo Lo, Shawo Tashi, Kelsang Yarphel, Gonpo Tenzin and Trinley Tsekar, in prison for singing and writing Tibetan songs. The Chinese government uses the charge “seditiously splitting the state” to arbitrarily arrest and imprison anyone they see as a threat. Many of these artists are serving sentences of up to nine years for singing and writing songs or participating in peaceful protests in support of the Dalai Lama or Tibetan independence. Some are reported to suffer from severe health problems due to mistreatment in Chinese custody.

Results of Incident: Ongoing.

Source:
• http://freemuse.org/tibet

Freemuse calls for the release of five Tibetan musicians imprisoned for their art, freemuse, December 2016

Unsung Heroes: Since 2012, China has jailed eleven Tibetan singers after they wrote and performed songs celebrating Tibet, opposing China's occupation and calling for freedom. In December 2013, one of them - Trinley Tsekar - was sentenced to nine years in prison Free Tibet